Preferences for gender diversity in high-profile jobs

This paper examines preferences for gender diversity among co-workers. Using stated-choice experiments with more than 9 , 200 professors,Ph.D. students, and university students in Germany, we uncover a substantial willingness to pay (WTP) for gender diversity of up to 5% of earnings on average. Importantly, we find that women have a much higher WTP for gender diversity than men. While the WTP differs by career ambition and related characteristics like competitiveness and family preferences, we find that gender differences in these dimensions cannot explain the gender gap in the WTP for diversity. Our findings provide an explanation for differential sorting of men and women into high-profile jobs based on the share of female co-workers. • Using stated-choice experiments, we uncover a substantial willingness to pay for gender diversity of up to 5% of earnings. • Women have a much higher WTP for gender diversity than men. • Gender differences in career ambition and related characteristics like competitiveness and family preferences cannot explain the gender gap in the WTP for gender diversity.