Preferences for government interventions in the economy: Does gender matter?

The extant economics literature finds relevant differences in preferences between men and women, with the former more supportive to competition than the latter. Using survey data for twelve Western European countries this paper shows that, when asked about their preferences for the government intervention in the economy, the two genders express significantly different preferences. While women would increase regulation and social responsibility of the government, they are not opponents of competition. Nevertheless, as the number of women in leading positions in politics and business grows, the world could become more regulated and more social-oriented. The analysis also shows that the gender-related differences depend on country-specific socio-economic factors.