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

Wollast, Robin and Luders, Adrian and Nugier, Armelle and Guimond, Serge and Phillips, Joseph B. and Sutton, Robbie M and Douglas, Karen M and Sengupta, Nikhil K and Lemay Jr., Edward P and Zand, Somayeh and Van Lissa, Caspar J and Belanger, Jocelyn J and Abakoumkin, Georgios and Abdul Khaiyom, Jamilah Hanum and Agostini, Maximilian and Ahmedi, Vjollca and Almenara, Carlos A and Atta, Mohsin and Bagci, Sabahat Cigdem and Bernardo, Allan B. I. and Choi, Hoon-Seok and Cristea, Mioara and Daniliuk, Ivan and Enea, Violeta and Fisher, Alexandra N. and Gómez, Ángel and Greiff, Samuel and Gutzkow, Ben and Hamaidia, Ali and Han, Qing and Hudiyana, Joevarian and Jeronimus, Bertus F and Jiang, Ding-Yu and Jovanović, Veljko and Kende, Anna and Keng, Shian-Ling and Koc, Yasin and Kovyazina, Kamila and Kreienkamp, Jannis and Kurapov, Anton and Lantos, Nóra Anna and Lesmana, Cokorda Bagus J and Malik, Najma Iqbal and Martinez, Anton P and McCabe, Kira O and Milla, Mirra Noor and Molinario, Erica and Moyano, Manuel and Muhammad, Hayat and Mula, Silvana and Myroniuk, Solomiia and Nisa, Claudia F and Nyúl, Boglárka and O'Keefe, Paul A and Osuna, Jose Javier Olivas and Osin, Evgeny N and Park, Joonha and Pierro, Antonio and Rees, Jonas H and Reitsema, Anne Margit and Marika, Rullo and Ryan, Michelle K and Samekin, Adil and Schumpe, Birga M and Selim, Heyla A and Stanton, Michael Vicente and Tseliou, Eleftheria and vanDellen, Michelle R and Vázquez, Alexandra and Weaving, Morgan and Yahiiaiev, Illia and Yeung, Victoria Wai-lan and Zheng, Bang and Zúñiga, Claudia and Leander, N Pontus (2025) Gender inequality and cultural values in explaining gender differences in positive and negative emotions: a comparison of 24 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Current Psychology.

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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.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	COVID-19 · Mental health · Gender · Emotions · Culture · Well-being
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology > BF511 Affection. Feeling. Emotion H Social Sciences > HM Sociology H Social Sciences > HM Sociology > HM1001 Social psychology H Social Sciences > HM Sociology > HM621 Culture R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA644.C67 Coronavirus infections. COVID-19 (Disease). COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences > Department of Psychology
Depositing User:	Dr Jamilah Hanum Abdul Khaiyom
Date Deposited:	16 Jan 2025 14:13
Last Modified:	16 Jan 2025 14:13
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/118668

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