Abstract

This study investigates nonsexual harassment differentials in inter-gender interactions in the work-

place. Exploring virtual quasi-random assignment of referees to matches and analyzing over 1,200 Brazil-

ian professional soccer match logs, I find that the presence of a female assistant referee at a match is as-

sociated with a statistically significant 38% increase in disciplinary warnings awarded to players for ha-

rassment of match officials in the most conservative case. I present a simple toy model that contemplates

two potential mechanisms for this bias: perceived different expected returns of harassment based on the

target gender and intrinsic motivations. Results suggest that players believe their chances of influencing

decisions through harassment are higher when targeting female officials, particularly in high-stakes situ-

ations. The introduction of video assistant referees (VAR) eliminates differential harassment, supporting

the notion that different perceived returns to harassment, rather than intrinsic motivations, drive these

behaviors. My findings highlight the prevalence of nonsexual harassment in labor markets, suggesting

that women may face greater challenges than men in high-stakes environments. This has implications for

gender composition in decision-making roles, as disproportionate relative harassment could be a comple-

mentary cause for the lack female preference for high-risk and decision-making positions.