Age Differences in Leadership Positions Across Cultures
Thomas Vaughan-Johnston1,2, Faizan Imtiaz3, Albert Lee4
1Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
Frontiers in Psychology
|October 4, 2021
Summary
Older adults hold more leadership roles in Eastern cultures compared to Western cultures, with cultural tightness influencing this trend in business and politics.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Cross-Cultural Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Global populations are aging, leading to more older adults in positions of power.
- Cultural variations may influence the age of leaders in different societies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cross-cultural differences in the age of business and political leaders.
- To explore the role of cultural tightness in mediating these age differences.
Main Methods:
- Study 1 analyzed the age of business leaders (N=1,034) across Eastern and Western cultures.
- Study 2 examined the age of political leaders (N=1,268) across cultures.
- Statistical controls included population age structure, GDP, and GINI coefficient.
Main Results:
- Business leaders were significantly older in Eastern cultures (e.g., China, India, Japan) than in Western cultures (e.g., US, Sweden, UK).
- Political leaders also showed a similar pattern, being older in Eastern compared to Western cultures.
- Cultural tightness mediated the relationship between culture and older leadership.
Conclusions:
- Cultural differences significantly impact leader age in business and politics.
- Cultural tightness is a key factor explaining variations in leadership age across cultures.
- Future research should explore causal mechanisms and practical implications of these cross-cultural findings.
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