Exploring the role of gender in common-pool resource extraction: evidence from laboratory and field experiments in fisheries

ABSTRACT

There is active debate on gender issues in natural resource management. For example, it is proposed that women are more cooperative than men when dealing with natural resources decisions; however, few scientific studies have directly addressed this hypothesis. We provide evidence for a greater cooperative attitude in women compared to men in both college students and coastal fishing communities of Baja California, Mexico, by means of game theory experiments. In both laboratory and field experiments, women changed their behaviour towards lower extraction compared to men, when regulations, sanctions or social scolding were introduced in the games. These results suggest that raising the role of women in decision-making, along with an adequate institutional framework, may lead to a more sustainable use of natural resources.

KEYWORDS:

• Experimental economics
• gender economics
• sustainable behaviour
• natural resources

JEL CLASSIFICATION:

• C92
• C93

Acknowledgements

We thank Juan-Camilo Cardenas, Citlalin Martinez and Americo Saldivar for very useful comments on earlier drafts. Several professors, students and authorities at UNAM helped for carrying out the experiments in selected schools. Also, thanks to the community of Isla Natividad for their kindness and cooperation, especially Roberto Vazquez Murillo, Alonso Ramirez, Jhonatan Castro Reyes. Leonardo Vazquez, Francico Fernandez Rivera, Amanda Lejbowicz and Arturo Hernández Velasco of Comunidad y Biodiversidad A.C.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was partially funded by Comunidad y Biodiversidad AC, CONACYT [grant number 81653] and PAPIIT-UNAM [grant number IN3013102]. DARF obtained support from a CONACYT doctoral scholarship [grant number 297139].