In a somewhat surprising finding, men and women show more-pronounced differences on personality tests in those countries that have higher levels of “gender equality,” according to recent studies. Gender equality is measured in terms of the proportions of men and women in a country’s professional and technical workforce and by their representation in the country’s politics. Two Swedish scientists looked at personality trait differences between the sexes in 22 countries. More than 130,000 participants, ages 19 to 69, a majority of whom were women, responded to a detailed questionnaire. In comparing the composite personality data, the researchers found that “sex differences in personality are larger in more gender equal countries.” For example, differences between the sexes were greatest in the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Canada, the U.K., Germany, the United States, Australia, France, Ireland, and Finland. Men and women showed the least personality difference in China, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, and India.
A further study, published in Science, reports that differences between men and women in terms of personality traits like risk-taking, patience, and trust also were greater in countries that are richer and more gender-equal. In addition, an earlier study from 2008 discovered that, in general, “higher levels of human development—including long and healthy life, equal access to knowledge and education, and economic wealth—were the main nation-level predictors of larger sex differences in personality.” The converse finding is that men and women in less gender-equal countries embrace traditional gender roles and also express sex differences to a lesser extent.
These findings are complex and, to some, counterintuitive. The gender-equality paradox invites argument, in part because the findings seem to go against a seemingly logical assumption—that the more equal a society becomes in terms of gender roles, then the less that sex differences would show up. Theories as to why this assumption is contradicted by the data are varied. One perspective on these issues emphasizes the centrality of biology. Another supposes that people who are less restricted by social roles and norms by gender, they are freer to follow innate personal preferences. Still another interpretive approach is social role theory, which says that many important differences can be explained by cultural history—such as the degree to which girls and boys are raised differently, or how long women have had the vote in a given country. One result of these various interpretations is that many questions remain open for future research.
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Related Links
- Men and Women Are Less Alike in More Feminist Countries
Overview of new studies on differences between the sexes in societies worldwide with varying degrees of “gender equality” (egalitarianism).
(Source: Reason.com, October 26, 2018) - Sex Differences in Personality Are Larger in Gender Equal Countries: Replicating and Extending a Surprising Finding
Lengthy abstract (with graphs) of key new research report originally published in the International Journal of Psychology.
(Source: Wiley Online Library, September 11, 2018) - Why Figuring Out What’s Behind a Big Gender Paradox Won’t Be Easy
Critical look at the implications of the “gender-equality paradox” as presented in the recent cross-country findings.
(Source: Ars Technica, October 12, 2018) - Why Can’t a Man Be More Like a Woman? Sex Differences in Big Five Personality Traits across 55 Cultures
Abstract of 2008 study originally published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology that examines differences between the sexes on these personality traits: neuroticism/emotional stability, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience.
(Source: American Psychological Association; accessed November 12, 2018) - Global Gender Gap Index
Table from 2015 report including 145 countries, from Iceland to Yemen, that combines many factors of gender equality into a single ranking.
(Source: World Economic Forum; accessed November 12, 2018)