Choice flexibility and decision to compete

Abstract

Persistent gender gaps in economic outcomes and leadership representation remain a major challenge. One contributing factor is the lower propensity of women to enter competitive environments, a behavioral difference shown to impact career advancement and earnings. In this study, we examine whether introducing flexibility in compensation decisions—specifically, the ability to revise one’s choice between piece rate and tournament after task completion—can reduce gender differences in willingness to compete. We experimentally vary both the availability and timing of this flexibility: some participants learn ex-ante that they may revise their choice, while others are surprised ex-post. Our results show that surprise flexibility can impact the gender gap in tournament entry, helping slightly more women to switch into competition after task completion. In contrast, when participants are informed in advance, the gender gap slightly widens, as men respond more assertively to the competitive option. These findings highlight how the structure and timing of choice flexibility can shape competitive behavior.