Gender and Competition in Times of COVID-19

36 Pages Posted: 9 Feb 2023

See all articles by Franco Fiordelisi

Franco Fiordelisi

University of Essex - Essex Business School

Francesco Saverio Stentella Lopes

University of Essex - Essex Business School

Date Written: February 7, 2023

Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 generated an unprecedented shock in the short-term rental market. Here we use data from Airbnb to examine whether gender influences en- trepreneurs’ reactions to this large economic shock. Our identification strategy relies on the price adjustments operated by entrepreneurs in response to the COVID-19 out- break in the first quarter of 2020. We show that men cut prices of their accommodations more aggressively than women in response to the pandemic outbreak. This aggressive price reaction is not reflected in an increase in the number of new bookings. Overall our results suggest that men compete more aggressively than women in response to large uncertainty shocks.

Keywords: Gender, COVID, Entrepreneurship, Sharing Economy

Suggested Citation

Fiordelisi, Franco and Stentella Lopes, Francesco Saverio, Gender and Competition in Times of COVID-19 (February 7, 2023). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4350851 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4350851

Franco Fiordelisi

University of Essex - Essex Business School ( email )

Wivenhoe Park
Colchester, CO4 3SQ
United Kingdom

Francesco Saverio Stentella Lopes (Contact Author)

University of Essex - Essex Business School ( email )

Wivenhoe Park
Colchester, CO4 3SQ
United Kingdom

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