A new study from Massachusetts’ National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) has confirmed something many already knew - women are more inclined to work co-operatively than men.

The report proposes that women may avoid competition due to a dislike for it, but also says that lower confidence in their abilities may be a partial explanation for women’s underrepresentation in both the corporate and political spheres.

“If indeed women’s talents are sometimes wasted because they avoid competitive environments, it seems important to know which types of work environments do attract women,” NBER’s paper, ‘Are Women More Attracted to Cooperation Than Men?’, stated.

Researchers gave men and women the gender-neutral task of sorting numbers and asked if they would like to be assisted by an anonymous helper, with pay split between them. They found men tended to want to work independently, pessimistic of their unknown partner’s abilities, whereas women were happier to collaborate.

The paper recommends fostering a group-centric work environment, rather than a simple race to the top. Full details of the report are available for a fee from the US National Bureau of Economic Research.