We construct measures of gender altruism, or the propensity of an
equal allocation towards the other gender, in a series of dictator and
ultimatum games. We compare different types of fishing societies in
rural Tanzania, and find (a) systematically lower levels of gender
altruism in lake-fishing villages compared to sea-fishing villages, and
(b) a higher tendency for participants in lake-fishing villages to justify
violence against women. Our findings provide experimental evidence
supporting the idea that differences in cultural norms about gender
equality shape individual attitudes towards violence against women.