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Are many sex/gender differences really power differences?
Adam D Galinsky1, Aurora Turek2, Grusha Agarwal3
1Management Division, Columbia University, New York City, NY 10027, USA.
PNAS Nexus
|February 28, 2024
Summary
Power differences may explain many sex/gender differences, according to new research. Studies show high-power individuals and men share similar traits, suggesting social power influences psychological and behavioral distinctions.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Debate on the origins of sex/gender differences: evolutionary vs. sociocultural/biosocial theories.
- Recent advances include increased meta-analyses of sex/gender differences and experiments on the psychological effects of power.
Purpose of the Study:
- To empirically examine the role of power differences in explaining sex/gender differences.
- To assess if experimental manipulations of power yield similar psychological and behavioral effects as observed sex/gender differences.
Main Methods:
- Identified 59 findings from published experiments on power.
- Conducted a P-curve analysis of the experimental power literature to establish evidential value.
- Subsumed power effects into 11 categories and compared them to 102 meta-analytic sex/gender differences.
- Tested discriminant validity against extraversion.
Main Results:
- High-power individuals and men exhibited higher agency, lower communion, and more positive self-evaluations.
- 71% of sex/gender differences were consistent with experimental power effects (9:1 ratio).
- Power correlated with sex/gender differences more strongly than extraversion.
Conclusions:
- Experimental power differences provide a partial explanation for many observed sex/gender differences.
- Findings challenge purely evolutionary explanations by highlighting the role of social power.
- Suggests social power dynamics are a significant factor in psychological and behavioral sex/gender disparities.
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