Addressing gender biases and social identity in the technology sector in Peru

Social identity considerations and norms may affect behavior and preferences of disadvantaged groups, perpetuating gaps in economic outcomes. In this research, we want to understand whether there are any pre-existing biases or missing information that preclude women from attempting to apply for training and a career in the high growth technology sector in Peru. These could come from misperceptions on women’s abilities to pursue a career in the tech sector, or from lack of role models or appropriate networks. In order to understand what are the barriers to pursuing a career in the tech sector, we are randomly varying the recruitment message to potential interested applicants to a 5 month “coding” bootcamp and leadership training program, offered only to women. In addition to a control group message with generic information, in a treatment message, we correct misperceptions about women’s abilities to pursue a career in technology, provide role models and highlight the fact that the program is offered solely to women. Our aim is to measure any differences in application rates between the two groups of applicants. These will indicate to what extent the different hypothesized barriers are at work in this setting. In partnership with the training provider, we also will be able to identify differences in the characteristics of applicants (in terms of cognitive and non-cognitive abilities), to shed light on how the barriers operate for different individuals. We are in the process of evaluating the results of the first experiment in Arequipa, while we are currently launching larger experiments in Lima and Mexico.