Magnitude Of Gender Differences Research Articles

Gender differences in the prevalence of stimulant misuse in the United States: 2015-2019.

The gender gap in prevalence of substance-use disorders has narrowed. However, gender differences in stimulant misuse have not been well-characterized in recent years. The aim of this study was to quantify gender differences in past-year stimulant misuse and stimulant-use disorder, separated by stimulant type (cocaine/crack, prescription stimulants, and methamphetamine). In an exploratory aim, we investigated whether gender differences were moderated by age or sexual orientation. We combined data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health from 2015 to 2019 (unweighted N = 282,768) to test gender differences in the prevalence of past-year stimulant misuse. Results indicated that stimulant misuse was significantly more prevalent in men than women for all stimulant types for both past-year use and past-year use disorder. The magnitude of this sex difference was smallest for prescription stimulants, where men had 1.37 times higher odds of past-year misuse and no gender difference was observed in the prevalence of prescription stimulant-use disorder. The magnitude of gender differences also varied based on both age and sexual orientation. Illicit stimulant misuse continues to be more common in men than in women; however, gender differences are more modest for prescription stimulant misuse, suggesting a narrowing of this historical gender difference.

From attitudes to social networks: National gender-role attitudes and gender differences in late-life social relationships

Studies often find gender differences in social networks in later life, but are these findings universal, or do they differ in various cultural contexts? To address this research gap, the current study examines the association between gender differences in social relationships and country-level gender-role attitudes. We combined data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) of individuals aged 50 years and older with country-level data on gender-role attitudes from the European Values Survey (EVS) for 15 European countries. We estimated a series of multivariate hierarchical regression models that predicted the size of the personal social network, its emotional closeness, and the proportion of the spouse, children, and friends in the network. The results indicated gender differences in social network characteristics. Women reported larger social networks and were more likely to have larger proportions of children and friends but smaller proportions of the spouse in their social networks. The magnitude of gender differences was associated with country-level gender-role attitudes. In countries with more egalitarian gender-role attitudes, women had larger networks with a larger proportion of friends compared to men. In countries with more traditional gender-role attitudes, women had larger proportions of their children and spouse in their social networks and had emotionally closer networks. Our findings suggest that the societal context and opportunity structures for social interactions play an important role in shaping the structure of women’s and men’s social relationships in later life.

Association of mesothelioma deaths with neighborhood asbestos exposure due to a large-scale asbestos-cement plant.

A causal relationship between mesothelioma and occupational asbestos exposure is well known, while some studies have shown a relationship to non-occupational exposures. The aim of this study was to quantify the risk of mesothelioma death associated with neighborhood asbestos exposure due to a large-scale asbestos-cement (AC) plant in Amagasaki, Japan, adjusting properly risk factors including occupational exposures. We conducted a nested case-control study in which a fixed population of 143,929 residents who had been living in Amagasaki City between 1975 and 2002 were followed from 2002 to 2015. All 133 cases and 403 matched controls were interviewed about their occupational, domestic, household, and neighborhood asbestos exposures. Odds ratios (ORs) for mesothelioma death associated with the neighborhood exposure were estimated by a conditional logistic-regression model. For quantitative assessments for neighborhood exposure, we adopted cumulative indices for individuals' residential histories at each residence-specific asbestos concentration multiplied by the duration during the potential exposure period of 1957-1975 (crocidolite). We observed an increasing, dose-dependent risk of mesothelioma death associated with neighborhood exposure, demonstrating that ORs in the highest quintile category were 21.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.8-79.2) for all, 23.7 (95% CI 3.8-147.2) for males, and 26.0 (95% CI 2.8-237.5) for females compared to the lowest quintile, respectively. A quantitative assessment for risk of mesothelioma deaths, adjusting for occupational and non-occupational exposures separately, showed a dose-dependent association with neighborhood exposure and no substantial gender differences in magnitude.

Gender Differences and Inequality? A 20-Year Retrospective Analysis Based on 39,980 Students’ Perceptions of Physical Education in Sweden

Purpose: The aim of this study was to critically examine previous studies’ claims about the magnitude of gender differences and gender inequality in physical education (PE) in Sweden. Method: The data were based on students’ (N = 39,980) perceptions of PE and were gathered from four large research projects in Sweden. Three effect size measures (Cramer’s V, r squared, and Cohen’s d) were calculated for gender differences. Results: In general, there are small gender differences; and after controlling for students’ grade, “sports capital,” and parents’ “educational capital,” the differences are practically irrelevant. Conclusion: This study provides compelling evidence that there are small, or even irrelevant, gender differences in students’ perceptions of PE in Sweden. Moreover, given that previous research asserts that large gender differences can be used as an indicator of inequality, this study suggests that gender inequality issues related to students’ perceptions of PE are relatively small.

Tracing the Gender Confidence Gap in Computing: A Cross-National Meta-Analysis of Gender Differences in Self-Assessed Technological Ability

The gender composition of information and communication technology (ICT) fields remain uneven across countries. One explanation is that gender stereotypes lead women to believe that they do not have the same aptitude for ICT fields as men, resulting in a deficit in women's self-assessed tech ability. Yet, studies on ICT confidence document wide variation in both the direction and magnitude of gender differences. This study asks whether there is, in fact, a gendered confidence gap in technological ability. Methods of meta-analysis evaluate gender differences in tech confidence based on the results of 120 effect sizes from 115 studies conducted in 22 countries from 1990 to 2019. While men report higher levels of self-assessed tech abilities compared to women, the gap is narrowing over time. Further, significant cross-national variation undermines essentialist explanations that imply universal sex differences. Rather, results are consistent with theorizing that emphasizes variations in cultural gender beliefs and opportunities.

Exploring the role of financial empowerment in mitigating the gender differentials in subjective and objective health outcomes among the older population in India.

Despite the progress in achieving gender equality to a certain extent, women are found to be more susceptible to health disadvantages compared to men in the older ages. However, research in the Indian context has mainly remained restricted to subjective health that heavily depends on the individual's perception, which may affect the validity of results. This study addresses this gap by complementing the investigation of the gender differentials in self-reported health outcomes (mobility and functional limitations) with that of objectively measured health status (hand-grip strength and static balance) among the older population of India. Besides, there is a dearth of literature that considers financial empowerment in explaining the gender differentials in health. Women's ability to participate in household decision-making, especially for important matters like major purchases, including property, indicates their empowerment status. Furthermore, the ability to extend financial support can be considered an important 'non-altruistic' driver for kins to care for older adults, indirectly affecting their health and well-being. Thus, the present paper explores the influence of financial empowerment on gender differentials in poor health outcomes. Using the Longitudinal Aging Study in India, Wave-1 (2017-18), six logistic regression models have been specified to capture the adjusted association between gender and poor health outcomes. The first three models successively control for the demographic and social support factors; socioeconomic factors and pre-existing health conditions; and financial empowerment indicators. The last three models investigate the interactions between gender and marital status, living arrangement and involvement in financial decisions, respectively. The findings reveal that women tend to be more perceptive about their physical discomfort than men and reported a higher prevalence of poor subjective health. In terms of objectively measured health status, older men had a higher prevalence of low hand-grip strength but a lower prevalence of poor balance. Gender demonstrated a strong, adjusted association with poor health outcomes among older adults. However, the magnitude of gender difference either shrunk considerably or became statistically insignificant for all the poor health outcomes after controlling the effect of indicators of financial empowerment. Further, the interaction between gender and involvement in financial matters demonstrated a stronger effect for men in reversing poor subjective health. The study reinforced the positive effect of financial empowerment in mitigating gender disparity in health among older adults.

Gender differences in health-related quality of life among coronary patients and the relation with comorbidity burden. Results from the ESC EORP EUROASPIRE V survey

Abstract Background Impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is related to increased morbidity and mortality among coronary heart disease (CHD) patients. Although gender differences in HRQoL have been observed in the general population, the magnitude of gender differences tends to be more pronounced in CHD patients. In addition, a higher comorbidity burden, common in CHD patients, is known to result in an even worse HRQoL outcome. Purpose The aim of this study is to evaluate HRQoL- gender differences among CHD patients and to explore its relationship with comorbidity burden. Methods Analyses were based on the most recent ESC EORP EUROASPIRE V survey data, including patient information from 27 European countries. Consecutive patients (18–80 years), hospitalized for a coronary event or surgical procedure were recruited in the survey. Data presented here were obtained from medical records and standardized patient interviews (6 months to 2 years following hospital discharge). Mean EQ-5D-5L index scores were used to evaluate patients' self-reported health status. A history of stroke, heart failure, peripheral artery disease (PAD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and self-reported diabetes were considered as comorbidities. Generalized linear mixed models were fitted accounting for clustering of patients within countries and adjusted for age. To investigate the interplay of gender with comorbidities, two-way interaction terms were included. Results Data was available for 8,261 patients, including 25.8% women. Women were slightly older than men (65.4 vs 63.0 years) and more likely to have a history of stroke (5.3% vs. 3.7%; p=0.04), heart failure (7.6% vs. 5.9%; p=0.02), and self-reported diabetes (33.1% vs. 28.0%; p<0.001). No significant differences were seen in the prevalences of PAD (2.5% vs. 2.7%; p=0.25) and CKD (13.8% vs. 14.5%; p=0.47). Overall, women reported a worse EQ-5D-5L index score compared to men (0.73 vs. 0.81; p<0.001). Also, considering CHD patients without comorbidities, women reported a worse EQ-5D-5L index score (0.77 vs. 0.84; p<0.001). Stratification by comorbidities revealed that the EQ-5D-5L index score differed substantially between genders. Although no gender differences were found for patients with PAD (0.62 vs. 0.68; p=0.13), women reported a worse EQ-5D-5L index score if having a history of stroke (0.59 vs. 0.69; p<0.001), heart failure (0.64 vs. 0.71; p=0.01), CKD (0.76 vs. 0.81; p<0.001), and self-reported diabetes (0.69 vs. 0.78; p<0.001). Moreover, detailed analyses revealed a significant interaction between gender and self-reported diabetes (p=0.04) and gender and CKD (p=0.04) in favour of women. A closer look at the combination of comorbidities revealed no significant interactions possibly due to the smaller number of patients. Conclusion Women reported a worse HRQoL compared to men. Further quantitative and qualitative research is needed to understand the gender-differential in HRQoL. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): Fonds voor hartchirurgie - Fonds pour la Chirurgie Cardiaque

American Party Women Redux: Stability in Partisan Gender Gaps

ABSTRACTRecent research in American politics demonstrates that despite gender-based partisan sorting, gender gaps in policy preferences persist within political parties—particularly among Republicans. Republican women report significantly more moderate views than their male counterparts across a range of policy areas. These gaps are largely attributable to gender differences in beliefs about the appropriate scope of government and attitudes toward gender-based inequality. Arguably, gender has become a more salient feature of American elections in recent years, and this heightened salience raises questions about whether these within-party gender gaps are stable over time or vary across campaign contexts. We use survey data from the 2012 and 2016 American National Election Study to evaluate whether gender gaps in policy preferences are stable across elections or if the 2016 election context affected the magnitude of gender differences in policy preferences. We find that gender gaps in policy preferences within political parties are fairly stable across the two electoral periods.

Gender differences in time to first hospital admission at age 60 in Denmark, 1995\u20132014

Women have consistently lower mortality rates than men at all ages and with respect to most causes. However, gender differences regarding hospital admission rates are more mixed, varying across ages and causes. A number of intuitive metrics have previously been used to explore changes in hospital admissions over time, but have not explicitly quantified the gender gap or estimated the cumulative contribution from cause-specific admission rates. Using register data for the total Danish population between 1995 and 2014, we estimated the time to first hospital admission for Danish men and women aged 60. This is an intuitive population-level metric with the same interpretive and mathematical properties as period life expectancy. Using a decomposition approach, we were able to quantify the cumulative contributions from eight causes of hospital admission to the gender gap in time to first hospital admission. Between 1995 and 2014, time to first admission increased for both, men (7.6 to 9.4 years) and women (8.3 to 10.3 years). However, the magnitude of gender differences in time to first admission remained relatively stable within this time period (0.7 years in 1995, 0.9 years in 2014). After age 60, Danish men had consistently higher rates of admission for cardiovascular conditions and neoplasms, but lower rates of admission for injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, and sex-specific causes. Although admission rates for both genders have generally declined over the last decades, the same major causes of admission accounted for the gender gap. Persistent gender differences in causes of admission are, therefore, important to consider when planning the delivery of health care in times of population ageing.

Does gender impact personality traits in female versus male otolaryngology residents and faculty?

ObjectiveGender differences in personality have long been a subject of interest. This study assessed personality traits within female and male residents and faculty and evaluated for meaningful differences between the groups. MethodsA series of web-based, commercially available, self-administered five factor-based personality assessments were given to otolaryngology residents and faculty at nine academic training programs. The psychometrically validated assessments evaluate innate personality 1) strengths, 2) challenges, and 3) motivators/values. Differences between groups were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney U test. A standardized measure of effect size, Cohen’s d, was calculated to indicate the magnitude of gender differences. Subset analysis was done to examine differences between female and male residents and female and male faculty. ResultsSeventy-eight faculty (42.6%) and 104 residents (70.3%), responded, which included 63 female (34.6%) participants. Significant differences between females and males overall were found across four traits (mischievous, imaginative, altruistic, and commercial) out of twenty-eight (4/28; 14.3%). Subset analysis of residents revealed two statistically significant differences related to motivators/values (increased altruism in females and increased commercial in males). Faculty exhibited a statistically significant difference in one stress tendency (increased imaginative in males). When examining the seven total traits that exhibited a statistically significant difference between any of the groups (7/84; 8.3%), four were considered a small difference and three a moderate difference. ConclusionWhen personality trait differences were identified in both otolaryngology resident and faculty populations based on gender, they were relatively small. Overall, females and males in otolaryngology exhibit significant overlap in the distribution of their personality traits. Therefore, personality-based initiatives should focus on the individual, rather than perceived gender “norms.”

Disparity in Educational Attainment Partially Explains Cognitive Gender Differences in Older Rural South Africans.

Direction and magnitude of gender differences in late-life cognitive function are inextricably tied to sociocultural context. Our study evaluates education and literacy as primary drivers of gender equality in cognitive performance among middle-aged and older adults in rural South Africa. Data were collected on 1,938 participants aged 40-79 from Agincourt, South Africa. Cognitive function was measured via the Oxford Cognitive Screen-Plus, a tablet-based assessment with low literacy demands. Four cognitive domains were derived through confirmatory factor analysis: episodic memory, executive function, visual spatial, and language. Structural equation models tested domain-specific gender effects, incrementally controlling for demographic, education, health, and socioeconomic variables. In the model adjusting only for demographic factors, men outperformed women on executive function and visual-spatial domains. Adding education and literacy to the model revealed a robust female advantage in episodic memory, and reduced the magnitude of male advantage in executive function and visual and spatial by 47% and 42%, respectively. Health and socioeconomic factors did not alter patterns of gender associations in subsequent models. In this older South African cohort, gender inequality in cognitive performance was partially attributable to educational differences. Understanding biopsychosocial mechanisms that promote cognitive resilience in older women is critically important given the predominantly female composition of aging populations worldwide.

Gender Differences in Social Support on Social Network Sites: A Meta-Analysis.

Social network sites (SNS) have become an increasingly popular platform for providing and receiving social support. Traditionally, females are believed to offer more social support. However, investigations of both the offline and online domains have revealed mixed findings. This meta-analysis attempts to assess the presence and magnitude of gender differences in social support on SNS. A literature review produced a sample of 30 independent studies with 17,000 participants. Results showed that females on SNS give (d = 0.36) and receive (d = 0.14) greater social support than do males. This is the first meta-analysis to test for and demonstrate gender differences in social support, either offline or online.

Analyze Ability of Early Childhood Based on Gender

The experimental design in this study has a particular interest in making conclusions made about gender differences in the ability to analyze children aged 5 years in the perspective of Taxonomic Bloom. The problem in this research is represented by the sample of research subjects by using items that have been loaded instrument. Test reliability and heterogeneity of variance can be randomly drawn conclusions from the scores of women and men on the instrument used. The results showed a statistically significant effect size difference difference (.01 Mean) in favor of women. The magnitude of gender differences in the impact of learning outcomes, however, differs substantially throughout the specific product domain graphically.

Gender differences across multiple types of prosocial behavior in adolescence: A meta-analysis of the prosocial tendency measure-revised (PTM-R)

IntroductionLiterature on adolescent prosocial behavior (PB) has grown tremendously since the development of The Prosocial Tendency Measure-Revised (PTM-R), which includes subscales assessing different types of PB. However, findings of gender differences are inconsistent across studies. Thus, we computed meta-analyses to examine gender differences in adolescents’ PB. Further, we examined the moderating roles of type of PB, and various sample (i.e., mean age, gender composition, ethnic composition) and study (i.e., reporter type, measurement form, reliability) characteristics in gender differences in PB. MethodsUsing online databases (e.g., ProQuest), journal article references, and conference programs, we identified a total of 46 records from 32 studies (215 effect sizes, N = 12,024) across the globe that had measured adolescents’ (age 10–18; 51% male) PB using the PTM-R or the PTM. ResultsGender differences in the PB were small to medium in magnitude (ds ranged from 0 to 0.35) for absolute gender differences (i.e., overall magnitude of gender differences regardless of which gender was higher). There were larger gender differences for gender-typed prosocial behaviors (e.g., altruistic, d = 0.35) than gender-neutral behaviors (e.g., anonymous, d = 0.03). The type of PB (i.e., altruistic, compliant, public, emotional, dire, anonymous) and region (i.e., European, U.S., traditional cultures, Asian) and were significant moderators. ConclusionsAlthough males and females generally are more similar than different in their prosociality, it is important to consider the type of PB when examining gender differences.

Gender differences in privacy tendencies on social network sites: A meta-analysis

The purpose of this study was to assess the presence and magnitude of gender differences in privacy-seeking tendencies on social network sites (SNS). To do so, a meta-analytic approach was chosen. A literature review produced a sample of 61 effect sizes from 37 independent studies (N = 16,159,261). Results showed that females on social network sites displayed higher privacy concerns and behaviors than did males. The gender differences, while all pointing to females being more committed to enhancing privacy, were small and statistically heterogeneous. A clear gender difference was apparent for activating privacy settings (d = 0.35) and untagging photographs (d = 0.26), whereas privacy concerns (d = 0.13) and disclosure of personal information (d = 0.13) showed smaller gender differences. The findings are in line with both evolutionary and social role theories and may be explained by differences in personality, threat vulnerability, or SNS activity levels. Advocators of SNS privacy should target males as the more vulnerable segment to privacy breaches. Additional studies are needed to investigate the moderating effects of variables such as culture and age, and to clarify the basis of this gender difference.

Gender differences in mathematics achievement in Beijing: A meta-analysis.

The topic of gender differences in mathematical performance has received considerable attention in the fields of education, sociology, economics and psychology. We analysed gender differences based on data from the Beijing Assessment of Educational Quality in China. A large data set of Grade 5 and Grade 8 students who took the mathematical test from 2008 to 2013 (n=73,318) were analysed. Meta-analysis was used in this research. The findings were as follows. (1) No gender differences in mathematical achievement exist among students in Grade 5, relatively small gender differences exist in Grade 8, females scored higher than males, and variance of male students is larger than that of females in both Grade 5 and Grade 8. (2) Except for statistics and probability, gender differences in other domains in Grade 8 are significantly higher than those in Grade 5, and female students outperform males. (3) The ratio of students of both gender in Grade 5 and Grade 8 at the 95-100% percentile level shows no significant differences. However, the ratio of male students is significantly higher than that of females at the 0-5% percentile level. (4) In Grade 5, the extent to which females outperformed males in low SES group is larger than that in higher SES groups, and in Grade 8, the magnitude of gender differences in urban schools is smaller than that in rural schools. There is a small gender difference among the 8th graders, with the male disadvantage at the bottom of the distribution. And gender differences also vary across school locations.

A Reconsideration of Gender Differences in Risk Attitudes

This paper reconsiders the wide agreement that females are more risk averse than males. We survey the existing experimental literature, finding that significance and magnitude of gender differences are task specific. We gather data from 54 replications of the Holt and Laury risk elicitation method, involving about 7,000 subjects. Gender differences appear in less than 10% of the studies and are significant but negligible in magnitude once all the data are pooled. Results are confirmed by structural estimations, which also support a constant relative risk aversion representation of preferences. Gender differences correlate with the presence of a safe option and fixed probabilities in the elicitation method.This paper was accepted by John List, behavioral economics.

Gender differences in latent cognitive abilities in children aged 2 to 7

Gender differences in the latent cognitive abilities underlying the Wechsler Primary and Preschool Scale of Intelligence—Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV) were investigated in children aged 2 to 7. Multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis was used to verify the measurement invariance of the WPPSI-IV factor model in boys and girls. Then the magnitude of gender differences in the means and variances of the abilities was estimated. Multiple-indicator multiple-cause models were implemented to explore whether the magnitude of these differences varied across age. Girls aged 2 to 7 demonstrated higher general intelligence. Girls aged 4 to 7 demonstrated an advantage in processing speed. A gender difference favoring boys in visual processing was absent in ages 2 to 3 but emerged in ages 4 to 7. Gender differences in fluid reasoning, short-term memory, and comprehension-knowledge were not found. The variability of any of the abilities did not differ among girls and boys. These results indicate that gender differences in cognitive abilities emerge in early childhood, which may contribute to gender differences in later educational outcomes.

Perceptions of Gender Differences in Self-Report Measures of Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to the abilities/competencies that an individual has about emotions and has proven to be related to positive aspects in life. Despite its growing relevance, results about the existence and magnitude of gender differences have been inconclusive, with some studies suggesting that such differences depend on the theoretical approach and type of instrument used. In an effort to better understand these relationships, this study examined the stereotyped nature of self-report instruments of EI from the two main theoretical EI approaches (ability-based and mixed models). Two hundred sixty Spanish undergraduates from a university in the South of Spain indicated the extent to which they considered several EI competences as typical of women/men. Results show that most EI dimensions are biased by gender stereotypes, in terms of being perceived as more characteristic of one gender or the other. An in-group gender bias appeared particularly among female participants whereby they attributed higher scores to women than to men in most EI dimensions. Men also favored men giving higher scores than women did in some of the dimensions. These results suggest that self-report EI measures may be influenced by gender stereotypes, which has relevant implications for EI researchers.

A Reconsideration of Gender Differences in Risk Attitudes

This paper reconsiders the wide agreement that females are more risk averse than males providing a leap forward in its understanding. Thoroughly surveying the experimental literature we first find that gender differences are less ubiquitous than usually depicted. Gathering the microdata of an even larger sample of Holt and Laury replications we boost the statistical power of the test and show that the magnitude of gender differences, although significant, is economically unimportant. We conclude that gender differences systematically correlate with the features of the elicitation method used and in particular the availability of a safe option and fixed probabilities.