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  • Publication | 2025
Gender Differences in Risk Preferences: Implications for Adoption of Climate Smart Agricultural Technologies
Global Food and Nutrition Security

The gender gap in risk preferences in rural farm households, with female farmers commonly viewed as more risk-averse than their male counterparts, may have profound implications for addressing the gendered impacts of climate change. Understanding these gender differences and their drivers is essential for designing policies that enhance resilience to the adverse effects of climate change and promote gender equality. In this paper, we examine whether a gender gap in risk-taking behaviours exists, identify its key drivers and explore its implications for gender disparity in the adoption of climate-smart agriculture technologies. Using representative longitudinal survey data from the Thailand and Vietnam Socio-Economic Panel (TVSEP) and employing an interactive fixed effect model and quantile regressions, we find strong evidence of gender differences in risk-taking behaviour, which contribute to gender disparities in the adoption of climate-smart agricultural technologies. The results from the decomposition exercise show that improving access to education in rural communities could play a crucial role in bridging the gender gap in risk-taking, thereby contributing to more equitable and widespread adoption of practices that are key to climate change mitigation and adaptation.