Gender empathy gap

The gender empathy gap is the claim that people are likely to feel more empathy for one gender than another gender in a similar situation. Many studies show that females have an on average advantage in tests of empathy.[1][2][3]

Empathy in different genders

According to some studies, females can recognize facial expressions and emotions more accurately and faster than males, especially some neutral body language. Additionally, females can recognize males' angry emotions better than males; males can recognize females' happy emotions better than females.[4] However, some research shows that there is no difference between males and females on empathy. Researchers explain that females' performance of recognizing emotion is driven by motivation. In other words, if females feel the work requires them to perform higher score empathy, they would perform better, or they will perform no differently than males.[5]

From birth, male and female neonates react to emotional stimulations differently. Experiments found that female neonates are more likely to cry when they heard others crying.[6] Besides, they also have more eye contact with people than male neonates.[7] Scientists believe that those reactions of female neonates may give them more chances to feel others feeling, which may amount over the years to a sufficient difference that can explain some of the empathy scores gap of males and females.

Gender empathy gap and sexism

Sexism against males

According to the research, both males and females have a better attitude toward females than males and provide female positive traits, which is called the "women are wonderful" effect.[8]

Studies suggest that people are more likely to put females in the position of being protected, and males as the protectors, which could be interpreted that males' mental health is not taken as seriously as females' mental health.[9]

See also

References
  1. Greenberg, David M.; Warrier, Varun; Abu-Akel, Ahmad; Allison, Carrie; Gajos, Krzysztof Z.; Reinecke, Katharina; Rentfrow, P. Jason; Radecki, Marcin A.; Baron-Cohen, Simon (2023-01-03). "Sex and age differences in "theory of mind" across 57 countries using the English version of the "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" Test". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 120 (1): e2022385119. Bibcode:2023PNAS..12022385G. doi:10.1073/pnas.2022385119. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 9910622. PMID 36584298.
  2. Stuijfzand, Suzannah; De Wied, Minet; Kempes, Maaike; Van de Graaff, Jolien; Branje, Susan; Meeus, Wim (November 2016). "Gender Differences in Empathic Sadness towards Persons of the Same- versus Other-sex during Adolescence". Sex Roles. 75 (9–10): 434–446. doi:10.1007/s11199-016-0649-3. ISSN 0360-0025. PMC 5112287. PMID 27909382.
  3. Nitschke, Jonas P.; Bartz, Jennifer A. (2020-03-01). "Lower digit ratio and higher endogenous testosterone are associated with lower empathic accuracy". Hormones and Behavior. 119: 104648. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104648. ISSN 0018-506X. PMID 31785282. S2CID 208515606.
  4. Christov-Moore, Leonardo; Simpson, Elizabeth A.; Coudé, Gino; Grigaityte, Kristina; Iacoboni, Marco; Ferrari, Pier Francesco (October 2014). "Empathy: Gender effects in brain and behavior". Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 46 (Pt 4): 604–627. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.09.001. ISSN 0149-7634. PMC 5110041. PMID 25236781.
  5. Klein, Kristi J. K.; Hodges, Sara D. (June 2001). "Gender Differences, Motivation, and Empathic Accuracy: When it Pays to Understand". Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 27 (6): 720–730. doi:10.1177/0146167201276007. ISSN 0146-1672. S2CID 14361887.
  6. Hoffman, Martin L. (1977). "Sex differences in empathy and related behaviors". Psychological Bulletin. 84 (4): 712–722. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.84.4.712. ISSN 1939-1455. PMID 897032.
  7. Carlson, Stephanie M.; Taylor, Marjorie (2005). "Imaginary Companions and Impersonated Characters: Sex Differences in Children's Fantasy Play". Merrill-Palmer Quarterly. 51 (1): 93–118. doi:10.1353/mpq.2005.0003. ISSN 1535-0266. S2CID 14359259.
  8. Eagly, Alice H.; Mladinic, Antonio (January 1994). "Are People Prejudiced Against Women? Some Answers From Research on Attitudes, Gender Stereotypes, and Judgments of Competence". European Review of Social Psychology. 5 (1): 1–35. doi:10.1080/14792779543000002. ISSN 1046-3283.
  9. "Bridging the gender gap in science". Physics Today. 2009. doi:10.1063/pt.5.023431. ISSN 1945-0699.
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