How Does Unethical Behavior Spread? – Gender Matters

Using an online experiment we analyze how dishonesty of males and females is “inspired” by learning or by thinking about the dishonesty of others in a related by different situation. Thinking about others' dishonesty (1) increases males’ (but not females’) dishonesty in a different game and (2) has no influence on people’s beliefs about dishonesty in the game that they themselves play (a different game). Learning about others' dishonesty (1) is positively correlated with females’ (but not with males’) dishonesty in a different game and (2) is positively correlated with people’s beliefs about dishonesty in the game that they themselves play (a different game). We conclude that when males are required to think about others' dishonesty that most likely triggers a feeling of competition (they want to earn more than others). Females, on the contrary, seem to update their beliefs about behavioral norms when learning about high levels of others' dishonesty, which “allows” them to lie themselves. Overall, both genders update their beliefs about the dishonesty of others in the same way