Template-type: ReDif-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Dupuy Arnaud 
Author-workplace-name: ROA rm
Title: An Economic Model of the Evolution of the Gender Performance Ratio in Individual Sports
Abstract: This paper shows that gender world record ratio in four disciplines, i.e. marathon, triplejump, pole vault and 800 meters, follows a S-shape over time. It is argued that thispattern is initiated by a sudden drop in the social barrier for women to participate inthese disciplines. This drop in social barrier materializes -later- by the authorization forwomen to participate at major events, such as the Olympic Games, in these disciplines.The paper builds a simple economic model of sector self-selection and human capitalaccumulation with intrinsic disutility (social barriers) to participate in some sectors.As social barriers are removed in a sector, the Gender Performance Ratio is show tofollow a S-shape over time under very basic assumptions and calibrations. Ability selfselection,measured as the difference between mean ability of women in that sector andpopulation mean, becomes more positive after removal of the social barrier.
Keywords: education, training and the labour market; 
Series: Research Memoranda
Creation-Date: 2010
Number: 006
File-URL: http://digitalarchive.maastrichtuniversity.nl/fedora/objects/guid:12d02bb0-7a06-4256-9d33-bd9c979c797d/datastreams/ASSET1/content
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 1037120
Handle: RePEc:unm:umaror:2010006