Gender Peer Effects
One Health Trust researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial on gender integration and work productivity. The study was implemented in call centers in five Indian cities, in which a total of 765 employees were randomized to either mixed-sex teams (30–50% female) or control groups of same-sex teams.
Researchers found no effects on productivity and days worked during the study period due to assignment to a mixed-sex team. Women with self-reported high autonomy in their daily life assigned to mixed-sex teams worked more days than women with lower autonomy.
Male employees in mixed-sex teams who had progressive gender attitudes (based on their responses to questions about women’s employment, education, roles, and fertility) had higher productivity than men with less progressive gender attitudes. Knowledge sharing, dating, and comfort with the opposite sex increased for all male employees in mixed-sex teams, compared with all-male teams.