Gender and Risk-Taking Economics, Evidence, and Why the Answer Matters

'Julie Nelson's new book is a rigorously academic bombshell, exploding the social science purportedly demonstrating that attitudes to risk meaningfully differ by gender. In clear and engaging prose, Professor Nelson authoritatively demonstrates how confirmation bias has tainted academic research on this topic, and in the process clarifies both the methodologies capable of revealing how stereotypes undermine the practice of science and the pernicious, real-world consequences.' - Mary C. King, Professor Emerita of Economics, Portland State University, USA

'A rigorous and important debunking of the notion of fundamental sex differences in financial risk-taking, and a fascinating exploration of the gendering of economic thinking.' - Cordelia Fine, Professor of History & Philosophy of Science, University of Melbourne, Australia

'Gender and Risk-Taking offers a model for how to discipline the cumulation of scientific knowledge. In this careful re-examination, Julie Nelson shows how tentative and modest in scope and statistical strength, the evidence on gender differences in risk-taking actually is.' - Colin F. Camerer, Robert Kirby Prof. of Behavioral Economics, Caltech, USA

"Nelson provides an extremely clear explanation of the methods for comparing groups' characteristics, written at an undergraduate level and thus accessible to anyone with some understanding of statistics. The book is available in paperback and e-book formats, and the short chapters make it ideal for teaching. Part I should be assigned to students in every statistics course." -Cordelia W. Reimers, Hunter College and the Graduate School of the City University of New York.