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

PsyCorona Study, Robin WOLLAST*, Adrian LÜEDERS, Armelle NUGIER, Serge GUIMOND, Joseph B. PHILLIPS, Robbie M. SUTTON, Karen M. DOUGLAS, Nikhil K. SENGUPTA, Edward P. LEMAY, Somayeh ZAND, Caspar J. VAN LISSA, Jocelyn J. BÉLANGER, Georgios ABAKOUMKIN, Jamilah Hanum ABDUL KHAIYOM, Maximilian AGOSTINI, Vjollca AHMEDI, Carlos A. ALMENARA, Mohsin ATTA, Sabahat C. BAGCIAllan B. I. BERNARDO, Hoon-Seok CHOI, Mioara CRISTEA, Ivan DANYLIUK, Violeta ENEA, Alexandra N. FISHER, Ángel GÓMEZ, Samuel GREIFF, Ben GÜTZKOW, Ali HAMAIDIA, Qing HAN, Joevarian HUDIYANA, Bertus F. JERONIMUS, Ding-Yu JIANG, Veljko JOVANOVIĆ, Anna KENDE, Shian-Ling KENG, Yasin KOC, Kamila KOVYAZINA, Jannis KREIENKAMP, Anton KURAPOV, Nóra Anna LANTOS, Cokorda Bagus Java LESMANA, Najma I. MALIK, Anton P. MARTINEZ, Kira O. McCABE, Mirra N. MILLA, Erica MOLINARIO, Manuel MOYANO, Hayat MUHAMMAD, Silvana MULA, Solomiia MYRONIUK, Claudia NISA, Boglárka NYÚL, Paul A. O'KEEFE, Jose Javier Olivas OSUNA, Evgeny N. OSIN, Joonha PARK, Antonio PIERRO, Jonas REES, Anne Margit REITSEMA, Marika RULLO, Michelle K. RYAN, Adil SAMEKIN, Birga M. SCHUMPE, Heyla A. SELIM, Michael V. STANTON, Eleftheria TSELIOU, Michelle R. VANDELLEN, Alexandra VAZQUEZ, Morgan WEAVING, Illia YAHIIAIEV, Victoria W. L. YEUNG, Bang ZHENG, Claudia ZÚÑIGA

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal PublicationsJournal Article (refereed)peer-review

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.
Original languageEnglish
JournalCurrent Psychology
Early online date14 Jan 2025
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 14 Jan 2025

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • Mental health
  • Gender
  • Emotions
  • Culture
  • Well-being

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