Gender differences in surveys for market definition and merger analysis

Abstract

There is increasing awareness of a ‘gender data gap’ in a range of academic, business and policy areas. The problem arises where policy or business decisions are made based on data that has been collected only on men (or by men, as survey designers), or on analyses of data in the aggregate without accounting for gender differences. Competition policy is one such area. Traditionally, consumers have been considered only by their willingness to pay, their (rational) preferences and their ability to substitute between products offered by firms. Meanwhile, firms are treated as entities that are defined by the profit-maximizing objectives of their owners, and only rarely seen as collections of people. Competition policy is gender blind, resulting in a gender data gap in competition. This article considers how surveys carried out for the purpose of market definition, merger analysis and switching behaviour should take account of gender differences.