Why men are likelier to take risks than women

Men are twice more likely than women to take risks at work, so a healthy balance of both genders at work place would be a good idea to make business thrive, a new research has said.

Men are twice more likely than women to take risks at work, so a healthy balance of both genders at work place would be a good idea to make business thrive, a new research has said.

The study, conducted by psychologists from the British Psychological Society, surveyed 2,000 men and women working in 20 different fields of work worldwide.

They said the gap between men and women when it came to risk-taking was unexpected in its magnitude.

The author of the study suggested that the gulf between men and women was genetically shaped by evolution and ensured the survival of our ancestors.

Early men had to take risks to fulfill their role as hunter-gatherers to put food on the table, while a woman’s cautious approach would have helped hold their families together.

“The implication of our gender difference findings is that male/female Risk Type differences are genetic; having achieved a balance shaped by evolution which would have been critical to survival of our species,” the Telegraph quoted study author, Geoff Trickey, as saying.

“The magnitude of the difference in risk taking between men and women was unexpected.

“Females were more than twice as likely to be wary and almost twice as likely to be prudent whilst males were more than twice as likely to be adventurous and almost twice as likely to be carefree,” he said.

Trikey also suggested that employers could use this change in attitudes to their benefit by providing a gender balance in the workplace.

“Risk taking is necessary and desirable, but we need to reinstate the balance that ensured the survival of our ancestors,” he said.

“Whether this is best done by gender selection manipulation is arguable, but the aim should be to achieve a balance of risk types,” he added.

The findings of the study were presented at the British Psychological Society’s annual conference.