Sep 11, 2008

Gender gap is wider in the west

When men and women take personality tests, some of the old Mars-Venus stereotypes keep reappearing. On average, women are more co-operative, nurturing, cautious and emotionally responsive. Men tend to be more competitive, assertive, reckless and emotionally flat. Clear differences appear in early childhood and never disappear.

What's not clear is the origin of these differences. From recent research, it looks as if personality differences between men and women are smaller in traditional cultures like India's or Zimbabwe's than in the Netherlands or the United States.

The more men and women have equal rights and similar jobs, the more their personalities seem to diverge.

Posted in: Lifestyle