Sex differences in moral judgements across 67 countries

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences • Vol/Iss. 287 • Royal Society • • Published In • Pages: 20201201 •
By Atari, Mohammad, Lai, Mark H., Dehghani, Morteza

Abstract

Using frequentist and Bayesian multi-level models in a sample of two international samples, the authors test whether there are significant sex differences in moral judgments across a large-scale examination of countries. They compare men and women using the five components of the Moral Foundations Theory: 1) care, (2) fairness, (3) loyalty, (4) authority, and (5) purity. In addition, they study the differences when considering socioeconomic and gender-equality status. The results partially support the presence of significant sex differences. While care, fairness, and purity were consistently higher for women; loyalty and authority were highly variable. The study also shows that there are larger sex differences in moral judgments across more individualist, WEIRD, and gender-equal societies.

Samples

Sample Used Coded Data Comment
OtherResearcher's own11,969 participants from 19 countries who completed the MFQ in their native language. Data provided by individual researchers from local countries.
YourMorals.orgResearcher's own336,691 individuals from 67 countries, who completed the Moral Foundations Questionnaire.

Hypotheses (5)

HypothesisSupported
There will be culturally variable sex differences in moral judgments across countries.Partially supported
Individualistic countries will have more sex differences in moral judgments. Supported
Women will have higher results in moral foundations related to parental care (Care) and the prohibition of unrestrained sociosexual orientation (Purity) than men across cultures.Supported
Gender-equal countries will have more sex differences in moral judgment.Supported
WEIRD countries will have more sex differences in moral judgment.Supported
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: stefania.becerralavado