Gendered Job-Role Framing Effects

Last registered on February 05, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Gendered Job-Role Framing Effects
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0015311
Initial registration date
January 31, 2025

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
February 05, 2025, 8:34 AM EST

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Jason Sandvik
Affiliation
University of Arizona
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2025-02-03
End date
2025-03-28
Keywords
Firms & Productivity, Gender, Labor
Additional Keywords
Gender, Employee Recruitment, Goodness-of-Fit
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We study whether prospective employees' assessments of their gender-based goodness-of-fit for a particular job role can be influenced by visual depictions of the gender make-up of the workforce. We do this specifically within the context of recruitment for detention center officers. Historically, detention center officer positions, like other law enforcement job roles, have been held predominately by men. However, there is increasing evidence that suggests women can succeed in these roles as well. We look to see whether a person's perceptions of whether women are a good fit for jobs as detention center officers changes when they see visual depictions of women in those roles.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Sandvik, Jason. 2025. "Gendered Job-Role Framing Effects." AEA RCT Registry. February 05. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15311-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We will administer a survey-based experiment via Qualtrics to a nationally representative sample of working age adults, with oversampling of individuals in Arizona. We are using the survey sampling services of Cint for this. Participants will respond to questions about their demographic traits, interest in working as a detention center officer, and views on specific topics/issues within the survey. Randomization will occur via the Qualtrics block-randomization tool, and this is how participants will be randomly exposed to the treatment stimulus of the control conditions (described below). Participants will be paid for their participation by Cint.
Intervention Start Date
2025-02-03
Intervention End Date
2025-03-28

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Stated interest in pursuing a career as a detention center officer. Stated view as to whether or not men are better suited than women to be detention center officers.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Stated interest in pursuing a career as a detention center officer (five point scale from "no interest at all" to "very interested"). Stated view as to whether or not men are better suited than women to be detention center officers (captured directly, in a "yes/no" response, and via responses to a double-list exercise, which has been found to reduce demand bias in survey responses).

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Differences in primary outcomes based on a participant's gender, age, location (state), and political leaning. Stated view as to whether or not they would switch jobs if their ideological leanings differed from that of their supervisors (e.g., liberal vs. conservative).
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Stated view as to whether or not they would switch jobs if their ideological leanings differed from that of their supervisors (e.g., liberal vs. conservative). This will be captured directly, in a "yes/no" response, and via responses to a double-list exercise, which has been found to reduce demand bias in survey responses.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
After consenting to participate and passing the attention check question. All participants will be provided with some basic information about the duties and responsibilities of detention center officers. A third of the participants will see only this information, with no graphics. Another third of the participants will see this information, along with three images of detention center officers (of which all are male). Another third of the participants will see this information, along with three images of detention center officers (of which two are female and one is male). Then they will engage in the double-list exercise, where they will each be shown four lists of 4-5 statements, and they will be asked to state how many of the statements in each list are true for them. Two of the lists will each contain a key statement, one that has to do with their perceptions of women's suitability for being detention center officers relative to men and one that has to do with their willingness to switch jobs if their ideological leanings differed from that of their supervisors. The placement of the key statements will vary randomly across and within lists. This variation is not a key aspect of the design other than it helps to resolve concerns about order effects.

After completing the double-list exercise, they will respond to a series of questions about their demographic traits and their work experience. They will also be explicitly asked about their perceptions of women's suitability for being detention center officers relative to men and about their willingness to switch jobs if their ideological leanings differed from that of their supervisors
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Qualtrics block randomization.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
5,000 individuals
Sample size: planned number of observations
5,000 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
1,666 in each of the three treatments (no image, all-male image, mixed-gender image).
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Arizona
IRB Approval Date
2025-01-06
IRB Approval Number
STUDY00005712
Analysis Plan