GENDER GAPS IN COMPETITIVENESS: THE ROLE OF MENTAL EXHAUSTION.

Last registered on September 21, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
GENDER GAPS IN COMPETITIVENESS: THE ROLE OF MENTAL EXHAUSTION.
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013472
Initial registration date
September 10, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
September 21, 2026, 8:13 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
Peru
Region
Lima

Primary Investigator

Name
Eduardo Navas
Affiliation
Universidad del Pacífico
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Manuel Barron
PI Affiliation
Asesor de Tesis
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Gino Saenz
PI Affiliation
Universidad del Pacifico
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Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2024-04-11
End date
2024-06-07
Keywords
Behavior, Gender, Lab
Additional Keywords
Risk Aversion, Competition
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This paper seeks to determine the influence of mental exhaustion on gender gaps in competence and risk aversion. Evidence from the existing literature indicates that women tend to exhibit higher levels of risk aversion than men. In addition, while women were found in several countries to tend to underperform men in competitive environments, in certain contexts no gender gaps were found under competition. Although the literature offers different approaches to the mentioned variables, the effect of mental exhaustion on these gaps has not yet been studied.
Therefore, an experiment will be conducted on university students, where a previous strenuous task will be randomly assigned to competitive and non-competitive schemes, evaluating whether this influences their decision to choose the competitive environment. The academic contribution will explore the effect of contexts in which people present considerable levels of mental exhaustion due to having previously performed a series of exhaustive tasks. In this way, more grounded conclusions will be obtained for an average work or academic context, in which people are not usually at high energy levels all the time.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Barron, Manuel, Eduardo Navas and Gino Saenz. 2026. "GENDER GAPS IN COMPETITIVENESS: THE ROLE OF MENTAL EXHAUSTION.." AEA RCT Registry. September 21. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13472-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2024-05-13
Intervention End Date
2024-06-07

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
To find whether there is any positive or negative relationship between mental exhaustion and competitive decision-making in women versus men. Also, to analyze the risk aversions of both genders under the use of a certain lottery equivalent.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
The decision for competition will consist of choosing, in a third instance of the game, a competitive option over a non-competitive one, having been previously exposed to mental exhaustion.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The patients were randomly assigned to the control and treatment groups. Controlled participants would be subjected to a relatively easy task,
However, the treatment group would face a more strenuous exercise, as they would have to take into account more characteristics when choosing whether or not to take out insurance.
Subsequently, the first stage is the non-competitive stage, where the participants would be presented with various logical series and, for each correct answer, they would be paid 5 experimental coins.

In the second stage, a competitive game was played. Participants were randomly assigned in groups of four people. They would again solve logical series of the same type, with a slight variation: this time 10 experimental coins would be earned for each correct answer, but only the one who obtained the highest score within the group would be paid. Even if someone answered correctly, he would have to be the best to win.

In the final stage, the participant could decide under which scheme the game would be played: competitive or non-competitive. Thus, if he/she chose competition, he/she would only receive pay if his/her score was the highest in his group, while, if he chose not to do so, he would be paid 5 experimental coins, just as the first stage.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Individual randomization for attending to the experiment. Group randomization for treatment. Group randomization for the groups on the competitive stage of the experiment.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
50 students
Sample size: planned number of observations
100 students
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
50 students controlled, 50 students treated.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Universidad del Pacífico
IRB Approval Date
2023-09-03
IRB Approval Number
NA
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials