Gender inequality and cultural values in explaining gender differences in positive and negative emotions: A comparison of 24 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Robin Wollast; Adrian Lüders; Armelle Nugier; Serge Guimond; Joseph Phillips; Robbie Sutton; Karen Douglas; Nikhil Sengupta; Edward Lemay; Somayeh Zand; Caspar van Lissa; Jocelyn Bélanger; Georgios Abakoumkin; Jamilah Hanum Abdul Khaiyom; Maximilian Agostini; Vjollca Ahmedi; Carlos Almenara; Mohsin Atta; Sabahat Bagci; Allan Bernardo; Hoon-Seok Choi; Mioara Cristea; Ivan Danyliuk; Violeta Enea; Alexandra Fisher; Angel Gómez; Samuel Greiff; Ben Gützkow; Ali Hamaidia; Qing Han; Joevarian Hudiyana; Bertus Jeronimus; Ding-Yu Jiang; Veljko Jovanović; Anna Kende; Shian-Ling Keng; Yasin Koc; Kamila Kovyazina; Jannis Kreienkamp; Anton Kurapov; Nora Anna Lantos; Cokorda Bagus Jaya Lesmana; Najma Malik; Anton Martinez; Kira Mccabe; Mirra Milla; Erica Molinario; Manuel Moyano; Hayat Muhammad; Silvana Mula; Solomiia Myroniuk; Claudia Nisa; Boglárka Nyúl; Paul O’keefe; Jose Javier Olivas Osuna; Evgeny Osin; Joonha Park; Antonio Pierro; Jonas Rees; Anne Margit Reitsema; Marika Rullo; Michelle Ryan; Adil Samekin; Birga Schumpe; Heyla Selim; Michael Stanton; Eleftheria Tseliou; Michelle Vandellen; Alexandra Vázquez; Morgan Weaving; Illia Yahiiaiev; Victoria Yeung; Bang Zheng; Claudia Zúñiga; N. Pontus Leander

doi:10.1007/s12144-024-06989-0

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Gender inequality and cultural values in explaining gender differences in positive and negative emotions: A comparison of 24 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

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Gender inequality and cultural values in explaining gender differences in positive and negative emotions: A comparison of 24 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Robin Wollast, Adrian Lüders, Armelle Nugier, Serge Guimond, Joseph Phillips, Robbie Sutton, Karen Douglas, Nikhil Sengupta, Edward Lemay, Somayeh Zand, …

Current psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.), Vol.44(8)

01-14-2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-06989-0

Appears in United Nations Sustainable Development Goals @ FGCU

Abstract

Humanities and Social Sciences

Psychology

Abstract The coronavirus pandemic posed a major challenge to mental health. Existing evidence shows that COVID-19 is related to poor emotional well-being, particularly among women. However, most work on the subject uses single-country samples, limiting the ability to generalize the disparity or explain it as a function of societal variables. The present study investigates the expression of positive and negative emotions during the pandemic as a function of gender and across 24 countries ( N = 49,637). Strong gender differences emerged across countries, with women reporting more negative emotions (anxious, depressed, nervous, exhausted) and less positive emotions (calm, content, relaxed, energetic) than men. The gender gap in positive emotions was significantly wider in countries higher in individualism and narrower in countries higher in power distance. For instance, differences in emotions were larger in Western countries high in individualism, such as the USA, the UK, Italy, and France, and smaller in countries with higher collectivism and power distance, such as China, Malaysia, and South Korea, with a few exceptions like Japan and Brazil. These gender differences across countries were not explained by country-level gender inequalities indicators (GGGI and GII). Interestingly, the national severity of the pandemic, an epidemiological factor, reduced gender differences in positive emotions. These results underscore the importance of considering cultural and national factors when assessing gender differences in well-being.

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Title: Gender inequality and cultural values in explaining gender differences in positive and negative emotions: A comparison of 24 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic
Creators: Robin Wollast - Stanford University
Adrian Lüders - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Armelle Nugier - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Serge Guimond - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Joseph Phillips - University of Kent
Robbie Sutton - University of Kent
Karen Douglas - University of Kent
Nikhil Sengupta - University of Kent
Edward Lemay - University of Maryland, College Park
Somayeh Zand - University of Milano-Bicocca
Caspar van Lissa - Tilburg University
Jocelyn Bélanger - Carnegie Mellon University Qatar
Georgios Abakoumkin - University of Thessaly
Jamilah Hanum Abdul Khaiyom - International Islamic University Malaysia
Maximilian Agostini - University of Groningen
Vjollca Ahmedi - University of Prishtina
Carlos Almenara - Peruvian University of Applied Sciences
Mohsin Atta - University of Sargodha
Sabahat Bagci - Sabancı Üniversitesi
Allan Bernardo
Hoon-Seok Choi - Sungkyunkwan University
Mioara Cristea - Heriot-Watt University
Ivan Danyliuk - Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Violeta Enea - Alexandru Ioan Cuza University
Alexandra Fisher - University of Edinburgh
Angel Gómez - Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
Samuel Greiff - Technical University of Munich
Ben Gützkow - University of Groningen
Ali Hamaidia - Centre Hospito Universitaire de Sétif
Qing Han - University of Oxford
Joevarian Hudiyana - University of Indonesia
Bertus Jeronimus - University of Groningen
Ding-Yu Jiang - National Chung Cheng University
Veljko Jovanović - University of Novi Sad
Anna Kende - Eötvös Loránd University
Shian-Ling Keng - Sunway University
Yasin Koc - University of Groningen
Kamila Kovyazina - Nazarbayev University
Jannis Kreienkamp - University of Groningen
Anton Kurapov - University of Salzburg
Nora Anna Lantos - Eötvös Loránd University
Cokorda Bagus Jaya Lesmana
Najma Malik - University of Sargodha
Anton Martinez - University of Sheffield
Kira Mccabe - Carleton University
Mirra Milla - University of Indonesia
Erica Molinario - Florida Gulf Coast University
Manuel Moyano - University of Córdoba
Hayat Muhammad - University of Peshawar
Silvana Mula - University of Cagliari
Solomiia Myroniuk - University of Groningen
Claudia Nisa - Duke Kunshan University
Boglárka Nyúl - Eötvös Loránd University
Paul O’keefe - University of Exeter
Jose Javier Olivas Osuna - Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
Evgeny Osin - Université Paris Nanterre
Joonha Park - Kyoto University
Antonio Pierro - Sapienza University of Rome
Jonas Rees - Bielefeld University
Anne Margit Reitsema - Utrecht University
Marika Rullo - University of Siena
Michelle Ryan - Australian National University
Adil Samekin - Maqsut Narikbayev University
Birga Schumpe - University of Amsterdam
Heyla Selim - King Saud University
Michael Stanton - California State University, East Bay
Eleftheria Tseliou - University of Thessaly
Michelle Vandellen - University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Alexandra Vázquez - Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
Morgan Weaving - Stanford University
Illia Yahiiaiev - Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Victoria Yeung
Bang Zheng - Imperial College London
Claudia Zúñiga - University of Chile
N. Pontus Leander - Wayne State University
Publication Details: Current psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.), Vol.44(8)
Publisher: Springer Verlag; NEW YORK
Number of pages: 19
Identifiers: 99384123255906570
Academic Unit: Department of Psychology; College of Arts & Sciences
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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