Gender differences in self-assessments at the application interface

Abstract

Past studies have shown that supply side sorting processes at the job application interface contribute to both vertical and horizontal gender job segregation. A prominent set of theories focused on the supply side stress the role of biased self-assessments in inducing gendered career choices (Correll 2001, 2004). In essence, females are posited to be less likely to pursue positions in male-dominated fields because they have downwardly biased views of their competence in those fields due to male-favoring cultural associations of competence. I examine the presence of biased self-assessments in the case of labor market job applicants. Female applicants in my sample generally self-assess their career level lower than males with the same level of education and experience. Consistent with Correll (2001, 2004), there are also differences in the extent of this bias with respect to the gender type of the job pursued. Female applicants report significantly lower self-assessments than comparable males when pursuing jobs in male typed departments but not when pursuing jobs in gender neutral departments. Across the organizational hierarchy, the extent of self-assessment bias favoring males increases as you move up levels of the hierarchy. However, I find no gender self-assessment bias among applicants to departments with female competence associations. This suggests the limits of Correll's "cultural beliefs" explanation of biased self-assessments beyond the case of stereotypically male fields.