Would Lehman Sisters Have Done It Differently? An Empirical Analysis of Gender Differences in Investment Behavior

This study appraises the role of gender in the behavior of individuals who make risky investments. The analysis bases on real-life investment data collected at an online market for peer-to-peer lending. The aim is to find out whether male and female investors differ in propensity for risk taking and performance of investments. Contrary to most existing studies, I find no evidence for gender differences. Males and females exhibit similar levels of risk propensity and their portfolios perform equally good.