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Gender differences in cooperation across 20 societies: a meta-analysis.
Giuliana Spadaro1, Shuxian Jin1, Daniel Balliet1
1Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Summary
Men and women cooperate similarly in social dilemmas, with no significant gender differences found. Cooperation levels were not influenced by situational conflicts or societal factors like gender equality.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Traditional hypotheses suggested gender-based differences in cooperation with strangers during conflicts of interest.
- Recent evidence indicates similar cooperation levels between men and women, contingent on context.
- This study investigates six decades of research on gender and cooperation in social dilemmas.
Approach:
- Meta-analysis of 126 studies (1961-2017) across 20 industrialized societies examining cooperation in social dilemmas.
- Tested hypotheses derived from evolutionary theory and social role theory regarding gender differences.
- Analyzed within-study gender differences and cooperation levels in predominantly female samples.
Key Points:
- Overall, meta-analytic approaches revealed minimal evidence for an association between gender and cooperation (d = 0.011).
- Cooperation was slightly higher in studies with predominantly female samples.
- Gender differences in cooperation did not emerge based on situational conflict or societal gender equality/economic development.
Conclusions:
- Findings challenge traditional assumptions of inherent gender differences in cooperation.
- Cooperation is more influenced by situational and societal contexts than by gender alone.
- Further research is needed to understand the nuances of cooperation across diverse contexts and populations.
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