Age and gender differences in human values: A 20-nation study.

Abstract

This study examines age and sex differences in human values, with GDP, GGI (Gender Gap Index), and individualism-collectivism as culture-level moderators, using representative data for age and sex across 20 countries with substantial cultural variability (N = 21,362). Cross-sectional findings revealed that all values dimensions varied in importance over the life span and that men and women are slightly different across most life stages. Specifically, older adults scored higher than young adults in values with social (interactive and normative) and central goals (suprapersonal and existence), whereas values with personal goals (excitement and promotion) showed the opposite pattern. In general, women were higher on social and central goals and men were higher on personal goals. Interactions between age and sex showed that men and women were identical in excitement values when young, and in interactive values when old, but there were significant differences between them in almost all other life stages. There was almost no moderation effect of culture, supporting the life span development psychology idea that values reflect a universal pattern of human agency in facing challenges over the life span. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).