Gender Differences on the Concept of Wisdom: An International Comparison

Abstract

The study aims to depict the most common ideas regarding wisdom from young people (ages 15-18) in Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Korea and the United States. A questionnaire was administered to nearly 800 adolescents from these countries and comparisons, by country and gender were made regarding participants perceptions of a wise man and a wise woman. Although differences were found between countries, more consistent differences by gender are reported. This research establishes three general traits to describe wise people: charismatic, goal-oriented, and unconventional. Also, participants consistently excluded a person from the concept of wise if they were poor, pessimistic, naïve, or inconsistent. A lack of values attached to the description of wisdom were found, and it is argued that school should foster the development of conceptions of wisdom as a desirable stage in human development that includes values such as justice, equity and respect for others. Difficulties in international comparative research are discussed.