The Backlash of Gender Quotas

Co-author: Juan Gonzalez Blanco

Abstract
Gender quotas are widely used to address gender disparities, but they may trigger backlash that undermines their effectiveness. In an online experiment simulating hiring decisions, we find clear evidence of such backlash. When participants acting as recruiters are required to hire an additional female candidate, they offer reduced salaries and lower hiring rates to other women–but only when these candidates underperform relative to men. Hence, quota backlash exists, but it is performance-specific. In contrast,  there is no backlash when quotas target men. Overall, quotas​ raise the bar for evaluating other women, inadvertently intensifying scrutiny of the group they try to promote.