Sunday, August 30, 2009

Girls' names determine income later in life: study

This story may refelct nothing more than a selection effect -- that is, parents who pick very feminine names may (subconsciously) direct their daughters to more traditionally feminine roles and those who pick other names may not have that direction. I wonder what effect there is on boys having names that could be seen as girls names?


Girls' names determine income later in life: study

By Misty Harris,


A new study has found females with masculine names fare far better in legal careers, including increased pay and greater likelihood of of judicial appointment.

A well-chosen baby name, at least for future legal beagles, can pay higher dividends than mere immunity from playground jeers, according to two new economic studies.

University researchers report that "females with masculine names fare far better in legal careers than females with feminine names," with data showing gender-bending monikers increase the amount of money the woman commands per hour as well as her odds of being appointed a judge.

Though the annals of Canadian justice seem to contradict this — our highest court has seen such femininely named judges as Marie, Beverley, Rosalie and Bertha — the study authors report "robust support" for the effects, which they predict have implications for other traditionally male-dominated fields as well.

"When we see a masculine name, something in our subconscious is cued," says Bentley Coffey, an economist at Clemson University in South Carolina. "There seems to be a subtle sexist notion, even if it's not gender discrimination per se."

In the American Law and Economics Review, Coffey and his co-authors report that changing a woman's name from something feminine, such as Sue, to a gender-neutral name, like Kelly, increases her odds of being appointed a judge by five per cent. A predominantly male name, such as Cameron, triples the odds of becoming a judge. And a swap from Sue to Bruce, a name used almost exclusively for men, increases the odds of judgeship by a factor of five.

6 comments:

foottothefire said...

That's it. My first daughter shall be named, "Wolf".

Anonymous said...

Too bad Johnny Cash isn't still around or he could write a song called "A Girl Named Joe"

kathleen said...

I find it funny that the mention Beverley as a feminine name.. it was originally a man's name. Still, why chance it -- if I am fortunate enough to have a 2nd daughter, perhaps I'll name her Chris, Pat, Sandy or Leslie, so I can retire early :)

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