Does Integration Change Gender Attitudes? Evidence from the Norwegian army.

Three researchers have conducted an experiment where they randomly assigned female recruits to some Norwegian army squads but not others during boot camp. The immediate results on the mens’ gender attitudes were striking.

There is a 14 percentage point increase in the fraction of men who think mixed-gender teams perform as well or better than same-gender teams, an 8 percentage point increase in men who think household work should be shared equally and a 14 percentage point increase in men who do not completely disavow feminine traits. Contrary to the predictions of many policymakers, we find no evidence that integrating women into squads hurt male recruits’ satisfaction with boot camp or their plans to continue in the military.

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