Mediate Gender Differences Research Articles

Sexual consent attitudes mediate gender differences in responsibility attributions for a heterosexual date rape scenario

ABSTRACT Past research has revealed that men are more likely than women to hold victims responsible for sexual violence, whereas women attribute more responsibility to the perpetrator than men. This study examined whether awareness of sexual violence in society can reduce gender differences in responsibility attributions and whether pre-existing gender differences in sexual consent attitudes can explain gender differences in responsibility attributions. To this end, participants (N = 668; 482 women) read a date-rape vignette and answered questions assessing their responsibility attributions to the female victim and the male perpetrator. For half of the participants, sexual violence in society was made salient through a media article prior to their responsibility attributions. Following their responsibility attributions, participants indicated their sexual consent attitudes. Supporting past findings, women attributed less responsibility to the victim and more responsibility to the perpetrator than men. Being made aware of sexual violence did not eliminate gender differences in responsibility attributions. As predicted, gender differences in responsibility attributions were linked to pre-existing gender differences in sexual consent attitudes. These results emphasise the relevance of positive attitudes about sexual consent, particularly among men, to reduce blaming victims and exonerating perpetrators.

A Drosophila melanogaster model shows that fast growing Metarhizium species are the deadliest despite eliciting a strong immune response

ABSTRACT We used Drosophila melanogaster to investigate how differences between Metarhizium species in growth rate and mechanisms of pathogenesis influence the outcome of infection. We found that the most rapid germinators and growers in vitro and on fly cuticle were the fastest killers, suggesting that pre-penetration competence is key to Metarhizium success. Virulent strains also induced the largest immune response, which did not depend on profuse growth within hosts as virulent toxin-producing strains only proliferated post-mortem while slow-killing strains that were specialized to other insects grew profusely pre-mortem. Metarhizium strains have apparently evolved resistance to widely distributed defenses such as the defensin Toll product drosomycin, but they were inhibited by Bomanins only found in Drosophila spp. Disrupting a gene (Dif), that mediates Toll immunity has little impact on the lethality of most Metarhizium strains (an exception being the early diverged M. frigidum and another insect pathogen Beauveria bassiana). However, disrupting the sensor of fungal proteases (Persephone) allowed rapid proliferation of strains within hosts (with the exception of M. album), and flies succumbed rapidly. Persephone also mediates gender differences in immune responses that determine whether male or female flies die sooner. We conclude that some strain differences in growth within hosts depend on immune-mediated interactions but intrinsic differences in pathogenic mechanisms are more important. Thus, Drosophila varies greatly in tolerance to different Metarhizium strains, in part because some of them produce toxins. Our results further develop D. melanogaster as a tractable model system for understanding insect-Metarhizium interactions.

The Gender Gap in Animal Experimentation Support: The Mediating Roles of Empathy and Speciesism

ABSTRACT There is a large gender gap in support for animal experimentation, with men endorsing this practice more than women. However, little is known about the psychological factors associated with these differences. Drawing on a large and gender-balanced sample (nwomen = 551, nmen = 454), we conducted a cross-sectional survey to examine whether gender differences in empathy, social dominance orientation (SDO), and speciesism mediate gender differences in attitudes toward animal experimentation. Our results indicate that gender differences in empathy and speciesism mediate the link between gender and support for animal experimentation, but SDO does not. An integrative model also confirmed the role of gender differences in dispositional empathy related directly to speciesist attitudes, which as a result were related to attitudes toward animal testing. This research brings new insights into gender differences in the acceptance of animal experimentation and may explain why women are more likely than men to be opposed to this practice.

Referring and Specialist Physician Gender and Specialist Billing

While a gender pay gap in medicine has been well documented, relatively little research has addressed mechanisms that mediate gender differences in referral income for specialists. To examine gender-based disparities in medical and surgical specialist referrals in Ontario, Canada. This cross-sectional study included referrals for specialist care ascertained from Ontario Health Insurance Plan physician billings for fiscal year 2018 to 2019. Participants were specialist physicians who received new patient consultations from April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2019, and the associated referring physicians. Data were analyzed from April 2018 to March 2020, including a 12-month follow-up period. Specialist and referring physician gender (female or male). Revenue per referral was defined based on an episode-of-care approach as total billings for a 12-month period from the initial consultation. Mean total billings for female and male specialists were compared and the differential divided into the portion owing to referral volume vs referral revenue. Difference-in-differences multivariable regression analysis was used to estimate gender-based differences in revenue per referral. For each referring physician, gender-based differences in referral patterns were examined using case-control analysis, in which specialists who received a referral were compared with matched control specialists who did not receive a referral. This analysis considered the gender of the specialist and concordance between the gender of the referring physician and specialist, among other characteristics. Of 7 621 365 new referrals, 32 824 referring physicians, of whom 13 512 (41.2%) were female (mean [SD] age, 46.3 [11.6] years) and 19 312 (58.8%) were male (mean [SD] age, 52.9 [13.5] years), made referrals to 13 582 specialists, of whom 4890 (36.0%) were female (mean [SD] age, 45.6 [11.0] years) and 8692 (64.0%) were male (mean [SD] age, 51.8 [13.0] years). Male specialists received more mean (SD) referrals than did female specialists (633 [666] vs 433 [515]), and the mean (SD) revenue per referral was higher for males ($350 [$474]) compared with females ($316 [$393]). Adjusted analysis demonstrated a -4.7% (95% CI, -4.9% to -4.5%) difference in the revenue per referral between male and female specialists. Multivariable regression analysis found that physicians referred more often to specialists of the same gender (odds ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.03-1.04) but had higher odds of referring to male specialists (odds ratio, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.09-1.11). In this cross-sectional study of the gender pay gap in specialist referral income, the number and revenue from referrals received differed by gender, as did the odds of receiving a referral from a physician of the same gender. Future research should examine the effectiveness of different policies to address this gap, such as a centralized, gender-blinded referral system.

Gender, self-efficacy and attrition from STEM programmes: evidence from Danish survey and registry data

ABSTRACT The persistent gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is often attributed to differences in students’ confidence in their own academic abilities (i.e. self-efficacy). Yet, the role of self-efficacy in mediating gender differences in STEM attrition is unclear. To address this issue, we analyse administrative register data and representative survey responses from two cohorts of students (N = 14,427) who entered higher education programmes in 2017 and 2019. In linear models that adjust for high-school performance, parents’ education level and other relevant background variables, we find that women have lower average self-efficacy levels than men before entering higher education. This gender gap is not specific to STEM fields but also exists in the humanities and social sciences. Although women have higher dropout rates than men in some, but not all STEM areas (most notably in mathematics and physics), self-efficacy differences do not explain this gap, suggesting that factors beyond prior achievements, sociodemographic background and confidence in one’s own abilities perpetuate gender disparities in STEM attrition.

Who do they think they are?: A social-cognitive account of gender differences in social sexual identity and behavior at work

To understand who initiates social sexual behavior (SSB) at work, we examine the strength of individuals’ social sexual identity (SSI), a self-definition as a person who leverages sex appeal in pursuit of personally valued gains. Using a social-cognitive framework that explores the intersection of personality, motivation, and situations, six studies (N = 2,598) establish that SSI strength is a novel predictor of SSB, including sexual harassment, and SSI strength mediates gender differences in SSB tendencies. We find that men’s (but not women’s) propensity to initiate SSB increases when pursuing self-enhancement goals (e.g., a powerful image), and these gender differences are mediated by momentary SSI strength. By contrast, the adoption of self-transcendence (e.g., affiliation) goals mitigates gender differences in SSB. Together, these findings illustrate the central role of the self-concept in explaining why and when gender differences emerge in patterns of SSB.

Spatial anxiety and spatial ability: Mediators of gender differences in math anxiety.

Females tend to be more anxious than males while engaging in mathematics, which has been linked to lower math performance and higher math avoidance. A possible repercussion of this gender difference is the underrepresentation of females in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math), as math competencies are an essential part of succeeding in such fields. A related, but distinct, area of research suggests that males tend to outperform females in tasks that require spatial processing (i.e., the ability to mentally visualize, rotate, and transform spatial and visual information). Interestingly, factors from the spatial processing domain (spatial ability and spatial anxiety) are important in explaining gender differences in math anxiety. Here, we examined three types of spatial anxiety and ability (imagery, navigation, and manipulation), as well as math ability, as mediators of gender differences in math anxiety. Undergraduate students (125 male; 286 female) completed assessments of their general level of anxiety, their math anxiety, and their spatial anxiety. They also completed a series of tasks measuring their mathematical skill, their spatial skills, and basic demographics. Results suggest that manipulation anxiety and ability, navigation anxiety, and math ability explained the gender difference in math anxiety, but manipulation anxiety was the strongest mediator of this relation. Conversely, all other measures did not explain the gender difference in math anxiety. These findings help us better understand the gender difference in mathematics, and this is important in reducing the gender gap in STEM fields. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Gender differences in the first course in accounting: An achievement goal approach

We examine whether gendered patterns can be observed in first-year students' achievement goals in an introductory accounting course; a question largely overlooked by prior literature. This investigation is motivated by perceptions of accounting as a masculine field involving gender role stereotypes and business schools as competitive and performance-oriented environments. Our findings suggest that male students tend to adopt performance-approach goal, implying that they are more competitive than female students, and that their performance is thus driven by a desire to outperform others. Our findings further suggest that male students' expectations of learning accounting are higher than those of female students. The expectations explain the gender differences in the performance-approach goal. Finally, we find that this performance-approach goal mediates gender differences in course performance depending on the mode of assessment; male students received higher grades for exams but not for teamwork. Overall, our study highlights the importance of considering contextual aspects related to competitiveness, masculinity, and the mode of assessment on an accounting course when addressing students’ achievement goals and expectations of learning accounting. We thus contribute to the understanding of how learning environment, accounting pedagogy, and the broader field of professional accounting intersects with individual student attributes, creating differential learning outcomes.

Are Women Less Likely to Ask than Men Partly Because They Work Fewer Hours? A Commentary on Artz et al. (2018)

A long debate in negotiation research concerns the question of whether gender differences in the propensity to initiate negotiations, in behaviors shown during negotiations, and in negotiation performance actually exist. Whereas past negotiation research suggested that women are less likely to initiate negotiations than men, a recent study by Artz et al. (2018) seems to suggest that women are as likely as men to “ask” for higher pay. However, this finding by Artz et al. (2018) was obtained once the number of weekly hours worked was added as a covariate in the statistical analysis. Following extant work, we suggest that the number of weekly hours worked could be—and, from a theoretical stand-point, perhaps should be—considered a mediator of gender differences. Conducting a Monte Carlo analysis based on the results and statistics provided by Artz et al. (2018) also yielded empirical evidence suggesting that weekly hours could be a mediator. Thus, women may be less likely than men to ask for higher pay, among other potential reasons, because they work fewer weekly hours. Based on this alternative conceptualization of the role of weekly hours, our commentary has theoretical implications for the understanding of gender differences in the propensity to initiate negotiations and practical implications for the effective reduction of gender inequalities.

Social Axioms Mediate Gender Differences in Gender Ideologies Among Guatemalan University Students

Gender role ideologies are embedded in cultural values and assumptions about life. Women’s greater endorsement of egalitarian beliefs may stem from gender differences in world views as indexed by social axioms. The purpose of this study was to examine potential mediators of gender differences in gender ideologies among university students in Guatemala, a country where traditional views are prevalent. Participants, 2,134 university students from nine campuses in different regions of Guatemala (43% male, 85% emerging adults), completed a Social Axioms Scale, along with three culturally relevant measures of gender ideology: the Historic-Sociocultural Premises Scale (HSCP) and the Machismo Measure that taps both traditional machismo and caballerismo (gentlemanliness). Consistent with previous research in other countries, men held more traditional attitudes about gender and the family than did women on all measures. Gender differences on all scales were mediated by cynicism and religiosity. Fate control mediated the gender differences in traditional machismo and the HSCP. These findings suggest that Guatemalan women and men through socialization, cultural demands, and life experiences develop gender-specific ways of viewing the world, and their attitudes about gender roles are shaped by those worldviews. The achievement of gender equality, a U.N. sustainable development goal, may require attention to the underlying world views of women and men.

Gender Differences in Descriptive Norms as Mediators of a Military Web-Based Alcohol Intervention

Personalized normative feedback, in which a respondent's perceived norms are contrasted with more accurate estimates of alcohol use, has been found to be an effective component in brief alcohol interventions. Less certain is how the impact of feedback as a mediator of behavior change may depend on, or be moderated by, gender. This study examined differences in mediation through two descriptive norms--the number of drinks consumed per occasion and frequency of drinking occasions--using data from the evaluation of a military web-based alcohol intervention. Gender differences in mediation of the Drinker's Check-Up's effects through descriptive norms were examined with multiple group path models and were tested with Wald and bootstrap confidence intervals for significance. Results varied by the type of descriptive norm. Mediation by perceived norms about the number of drinks peers consumed did not vary significantly by gender. In contrast, mediated effects through norms about how often peers drank differed significantly by gender for the number of days alcohol was consumed, the number of binge episodes, heavy drinker status, and the number of drinks consumed per drinking episode. Female military personnel showed a greater number of mediated effects through norms about drinking frequency than did males. Differences in mediation depend on the type of descriptive norm acting as mediator as well as the type of alcohol use outcome. Further research on these differences may enable tailoring of interventions to maximize the effectiveness of norms as agents of alcohol use change.

Can (perceived) mental-rotation performance mediate gender differences in math anxiety in adolescents and young adults?

Math anxiety is a negative affective reaction in situations concerning mathematics and is related to poor math performance and a lower mathematical self-concept. Gender differences appear in math anxiety even though gender differences in math abilities are non-existent or minimal in effect size. In the present study, gender and age differences in math anxiety, mental-rotation performance, and perceived mental-rotation performance are investigated as well as (perceived) mental-rotation performance as possible mediators of the relation between gender and math anxiety. Ninety-seven children (54 females) between 11 and 15 years and 84 undergraduate students (59 females) solved a mental-rotation test, rated their performance in this test, and filled out a questionnaire about math anxiety. Increasing gender differences with age were found for math anxiety, mental-rotation performance, and perceived mental-rotation performance. Mental-rotation performance and perceived mental-rotation performance were significant individual mediators for gender differences in math anxiety. Adequate measures should be discussed to enhance females’ mental-rotation abilities and their perception of these skills to reduce gender differences in math anxiety.

584-P: Diabetes Distress, Depressive Symptoms, and Gender Disparities in Glycemic Control among African Americans with Type 2 Diabetes

Despite advances in diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES), disparities persist in clinical, behavioral, and psychosocial outcomes. Evidence suggests that, in addition to racial/ethnic disparities in diabetes self-management, gender disparities in glycemic control (A1c) exist in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, there is a knowledge gap in determining if gender differences in A1c are mediated by Diabetes Distress (DD) and/or Depressive Symptoms (DS), or if gender moderates this relationship. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relationship between gender, DD, DS, and A1c in 94 African American adults with T2D from 9 churches in metro-Detroit, MI. All churches participated in a 15-month, cluster randomized controlled trial focused on DSMS efforts to maintain T2D outcomes following DSME. DD was defined as DD Scale score >=3. DS was measured with the PHQ-9. PHQ-9 was categorized into no DS (PHQ-9 score < 5), minimal DS (PHQ-9 score >=5<10), and depression (PHQ-9 scores >=10). Participants were 44% male, had a mean age of 65.0±10.46 years, and 32% were prescribed insulin. Mean baseline A1c was 7.1±1.7 (males: 7.4±2.0; females: 6.9±1.5, p=0.78). 34.4% of participants reported having DD. More females (35%) reported DD compared to males (31.2%) p=0.72. Approximately 63% of participants reported no DS, 21% reported minimal DS, and 16% reported having DS. There were no differences in PHQ-9 scores when stratified by gender (p=0.17). Mixed effects logistic regression revealed that gender did not moderate the relationship between DD or DS and A1c. However, DD mediated gender differences in A1c (β=-1.7, p=0.02) but DS did not (β=-0.25, p=0.76). Gender differences in a1c for patients with T2D may be attributable to DD, but not DS. As females traditionally report higher DD levels than males and a1c is often worse in males than females, increased attention to these gender differences is warranted, particularly among African Americans. Disclosure J. M. Hawkins: None. N. J. Koscielniak: None. R. Nwankwo: None. M. M. Funnell: Other Relationship; Self; American Diabetes Association. K. A. Kloss: None. D. Hall: None. G. Piatt: None. Funding National Institutes of Health (5R01DK10473305)

“Bold Problem Solving”: A New Construct for Understanding Gender Differences in Mathematics

Despite progress toward gender equity, troubling disparities in mathematical problem-solving performance and related outcomes persist. To investigate why, we build on recurrent findings in previous studies to introduce a new construct, “bold problem solving,” which involves approaching mathematics problems in inventive ways. We introduce a self-report survey of bold problem-solving orientation and find that it mediates gender differences in problem-solving performance for both high-achieving middle school students (n= 79) and a more diverse sample of high school students (n= 222). Confidence mediates the relation between gender and bold problem-solving orientation, with mixed results for mental rotation skills and teacher-pleasing tendencies as mediators. Overall, the new bold problem-solving construct appears promising for advancing our understanding of gender differences in mathematics.

The Longitudinal Mediating Effects of Perceived Parental Neglect on Changes in Korean Adolescents’ Life Satisfaction by Gender

The life satisfaction of Korean adolescents tends to decrease beginning in middle school, and this decrease has a negative effect on life satisfaction in adulthood. Gender and perceptions of parental neglect are important variables influencing the life satisfaction of adolescents in Korea. This study examined the longitudinal mediating effects of perceived parental neglect on the life satisfaction of male and female Korean adolescents to assess changes to the relationships between key variables over time. The present study analyzed data from 2,215 adolescents from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey's fourth-year elementary school panel spanning their first year of middle school (2013) to the first year of high school (2016). A latent growth model was applied to Korean national data. The perceived parental neglect and life satisfaction intercepts differed by gender, and the intercept of perceived parental neglect influenced the life satisfaction intercept. The slope of perceived parental neglect, but not the life satisfaction slope, differed by gender, and the slope of perceived parental neglect influenced the life satisfaction slope. The Sobel method showed that the intercept of perceived parental neglect mediated gender differences in the life satisfaction intercept, and the slope of perceived parental neglect significantly influenced the gender difference in the life satisfaction slope. Efforts to improve adolescent life satisfaction should be differentiated by gender regarding perceptions of parental neglect.

Alcohol consumption in adolescence: the role of adolescents’ gender, parental control, and family dinners attendance in an Italian HBSC sample

ABSTRACT Parental control and family dinners attendance may constitute protective factors against alcohol consumption during adolescence, with different patterns for boys and girls, though evidence thus far have produced mixed findings. The present study analyzed Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC, 2014) data from 906 adolescents living in Northern Italy (49% boys, M years = 16.02, SD = 2.4) to examine: (a) gender differences in alcohol consumption frequency; (b) whether greater parental control would mediate gender differences in alcohol consumption over the last 30 days; (c) whether regular attendance of family dinners would strengthen the effect of parental control in decreasing adolescents’ alcohol consumption, functioning differently for boys and girls. Findings indicated that boys reported to attend family dinners more regularly, to consume alcohol more frequently, and to perceive greater paternal control, than girls. Conversely, girls perceived greater maternal control than boys. Both maternal and paternal control did mediate the relation between gender and alcohol consumption, decreasing adolescents’ drinking. Unexpectedly, family dinners attendance did not significantly moderate the effect of parental control on the monthly frequency of adolescents’ alcohol consumption. Results underline the protective role of parental control against adolescents’ alcohol consumption in both girls and boys, regardless of their family dinners attendance.

Chronotype mediates gender differences in risk propensity and risk-taking.

Risk-taking is a complex form of decision-making that involves calculated assessments of potential costs and rewards that may be immediate or delayed. Thus, making predictions about inter-individual variation in risk-taking due to personality traits, decision styles or other attributes can be difficult. The association of risk-taking with gender is well-supported; males report higher propensity for risk-taking and show higher risk-taking on tasks measuring actual risk-taking behavior. Risk-taking also appears to be associated with circadian phenotypes (chronotypes), with evening-types reporting higher levels of risk-taking—but this association may be confounded by the fact that, in certain age groups, males are more likely to be evening-types. Here, we test for gender by chronotype effects on risk-taking in young adults (n = 610) using a self-reported risk propensity questionnaire, the health domain of the DOSPERT, and a behavioral task measuring risk-taking, the Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART). Our results show that males report and take significantly more risks than females in this population. In addition, evening-type individuals have significantly higher self-reported risk propensity and tend to take more risks on the BART. Interestingly, there is no significant difference in risk propensity or risk-taking behavior across male circadian phenotypes, but evening-type females significantly report and take more risk than female intermediate and morning types. In regression analyses, we found both gender and chronotype predict risk propensity and risk-taking. Path analysis confirms that chronotype has an indirect effect on gender differences in both risk propensity and risk-taking. Furthermore, we found that trait anxiety (STAI) and sleep disturbance (PROMIS), significantly correlate with chronotype and gender in the complete dataset, but do not independently predict differences in female risk-taking. These results suggest that chronotype mediates gender effects on risk-taking and that these effects are driven primarily by morning-type females, but are not related to gender-specific differences in trait anxiety or sleep quality.

Double isolation: Identity expression threat predicts greater gender disparities in computer science

ABSTRACT Three studies examine the relationship between women’s expression of interest in computer science and identity expression threat, the concern about conveying an identity inconsistent with one's gender role. Undergraduates perceive academic majors to signal who they are to peers (Study 1). Women imagining majoring in computer science report greater identity expression threat from their peers outside computer science than from those inside the field (Study 2). Women report greater identity expression threat in computer science (but not biology or English) than do men. Identity expression threat mediates gender differences in reported likelihood of downplaying interest in computer science (Study 3). Women considering computer science perceive they will be doubly isolated, both from those within and outside the field.

Body Dissatisfaction and Depressive Symptoms on the Threshold to Adolescence: Examining Gender Differences in Depressive Symptoms and the Impact of Social Support

The current study focused on the relationship between body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms on the threshold of adolescence. We aimed to investigate the role of body dissatisfaction in gender differences in depressive symptoms, as well as the impact of social support from peers and parents. Mediation and moderation analyses were based on self-reports from a Norwegian population-based sample (the Tracking Opportunities and Problems Study) of 12- to 13-year-olds ( N = 547). Body dissatisfaction explained over 20% of the variance in depressive symptoms. The findings indicate that body dissatisfaction mediates gender differences in depressive symptoms, and that peer support moderates the positive association between body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms. This is in line with Stress Exposure and Stress-Buffering models. The findings indicate that to prevent depressive symptoms in the transition into adolescence, focus should be on promoting body satisfaction, especially in girls, as well as promoting peer support for adolescents already struggling with body dissatisfaction.

Ambivalence over Expression of Anger and Sadness Mediates Gender Differences in Depressive Symptoms

The gender difference in the prevalence of depression is well-documented, poorly understood and multifactorial. Considering that gender differences exist in the expression of emotions, we hypothesized that ambivalence over the expression of sadness and anger contributes to the difference in depression scores between men and women. Questionnaires on depressive symptoms and ambivalence regarding sadness and anger expression were completed by 550 respondents (66.9% women, average age 27.8 years). Women reported more depressive symptoms and were more ambivalent over the expression of both sadness and anger than men. Ambivalence over sadness and—to a lesser extent—anger mediated the relationship between gender and depressive symptoms. We conclude that ambivalence over emotion expression may partly explain why depression occurs more frequently in women than men.