A major new study reveals that women outperform men in aligning confidence with correctness, particularly in intelligence-related tasks.
The research challenges long-held assumptions about gender differences in intelligence, competitiveness and financial literacy, offering fresh insights into how confidence, not just correctness, shapes performance.
The research , conducted by researchers at University College Cork, University of Cape Town and Georgia State University, overturns a long-standing generalisation in empirical economics that women are statistically less competitive than men.
The study also finds that financial incentives significantly affect performance on fluid intelligence tests, challenging the assumption that test-takers are always equally motivated.
Beyond right and wrong: Confidence matters
Study participants competed for cash rewards, and on average, female participants earned more than males. The study found that women process the confidence of their answers more accurately than men when tackling uncertain or risky test questions related to intelligence – because male subjects were over-confident about their answers and over-competed.
These findings challenge prior policy advice that women should be more competitive, suggesting instead that efforts should focus on encouraging greater self-awareness and more calibrated confidence among men.
When it comes to financial literacy, women show greater accuracy in confidence than their male counterparts.
Professor Don Ross, Professor in the School of Society, Politics, and Ethics at University College Cork, said. “These findings challenge the outdated narrative that women are inherently less competitive. Our results show that women are often more accurate in judging their confidence under pressure - and that matters. When measured properly, women show strong intelligence, compete and take risks when it makes sense to do so, and display high levels of financial literacy.”
“It is not the case that women lack the confidence to take on the risks of competition: they respond exactly as any risk averse agent should – it’s that society often encourages men to be overconfident,” Professor Ross said.
Key findings of the study include:
Rethinking measurement
The study calls for a reassessment of how cognitive skills, particularly fluid intelligence, are measured and interpreted — both in research and in policy-making. It argues for broader definitions of intelligence that include self-awareness, the use of tools, and the ability to assess uncertainty - factors critical for real-world problem-solving.
“A lack of total certainty doesn’t mean someone is less intelligent. In fact, the ability to recognise uncertainty and seek support - like organising information or using language as a mental tool - is itself a sign of higher-order thinking,” Professor Don Ross said.
With intelligence playing a central role in educational and economic outcomes, improving how we evaluate it could help address broader issues like inequality and access.
Journal of Political Economy
Observational study
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