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Gender gaps in technology diffusion

Author

Listed:
  • BenYishay, Ariel
  • Jones, Maria
  • Kondylis, Florence
  • Mobarak, Ahmed Mushfiq
Abstract
Even with comparable innate ability and performance, women may be subject to discrimination. We run a field experiment across 143 Malawian villages in which either men or women were assigned the task of learning about a new agricultural technology, and then communicating it to others to convince them to adopt. Objective measures of these communicators’ knowledge and adoption of the new technology show no gender gap in their ability to acquire, retain and use the information. Yet, micro-data on individual interactions from 6500 farmers show that other farmers are less willing to learn from female communicators, whom they perceive not to be as good at farming as their male counterparts. In spite of this, other farmers learn just as much about the technology when the communicator role is reserved for women, and they experience similar farm yields.

Suggested Citation

  • BenYishay, Ariel & Jones, Maria & Kondylis, Florence & Mobarak, Ahmed Mushfiq, 2020. "Gender gaps in technology diffusion," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:deveco:v:143:y:2020:i:c:s030438781930197x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2019.102380
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    2. Ayalew, Shibiru & Manian, Shanthi & Sheth, Ketki, 2021. "Discrimination from below: Experimental evidence from Ethiopia," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    3. Murphy, David M.A., 2023. "Sobriety, social capital, and village network structures," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    4. Deserranno, Erika & Bandiera, Oriana & Rasul, Imran, 2020. "Development Policy through the Lens of Social Structure," CEPR Discussion Papers 14876, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    5. Adjognon,Guigonan Serge & Nguyen Huy,Tung & Guthoff,Jonas Christoph & van Soest,Daan, 2022. "Incentivizing Social Learning for the Diffusion of Climate-Smart Agricultural Techniques," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10041, The World Bank.
    6. Posey, Sean & Magnan, Nicholas & McCullough, Ellen & Opoku, Nelson & Abujaja, Afi, 2022. "Exploring Intra-Household Information Sharing Using a Lab in the Field," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322225, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    7. Emerick, Kyle & De Janvry, Alain & Sadoulet, Elisabeth & Dar, Manzoor & Wiseman, Eleanor, 2020. "Private Input Suppliers as Information Agents for Technology Adoption in Agriculture," CEPR Discussion Papers 15584, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    8. Patrizia Gazzola & Daniele Grechi & Ilaria Martinelli & Roberta Pezzetti, 2022. "The Innovation of the Cashierless Store: A Preliminary Analysis in Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-16, February.
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    10. Ho, Thong Quoc & Nie, Zihan & Alpizar, Francisco & Carlsson, Fredrik & Nam, Pham Khanh, 2022. "Celebrity endorsement in promoting pro-environmental behavior," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 68-86.
    11. Miura, Ken & Kijima, Yoko & Sakurai, Takeshi, 2021. "Incomplete Information Sharing within the Household：Evidence from Participation in Agricultural Training in Zambia," Japanese Journal of Agricultural Economics (formerly Japanese Journal of Rural Economics), Agricultural Economics Society of Japan (AESJ), vol. 23.
    12. Swati Sharma, 2021. "Gender and workplace interactions: who is likely to lose?," IEG Working Papers 426, Institute of Economic Growth.
    13. McGuire, Erin & Rietveld, Anne M. & Crump, Amanda & Leeuwis, Cees, 2022. "Anticipating gender impacts in scaling innovations for agriculture: Insights from the literature," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 25(C).
    14. Gonzalo Díaz-Meneses & Neringa Vilkaitė-Vaitonė & Miriam Estupiñan-Ojeda, 2020. "Gaining Insight into Violence from Gender Stereotypes and Sexist Attitudes in the Context of Tourism," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-13, November.
    15. Macours, Karen & Behaghel, Luc & Gignoux, Jérémie, 2020. "Social learning in agriculture: does smallholder heterogeneity impede technology diffusion in Sub-Saharan Africa?," CEPR Discussion Papers 15220, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Gender discrimination; Technology adoption; Agriculture; Social networks;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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