scholarly journals Sex differences in moral judgements across 67 countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1937) ◽  
pp. 20201201
Author(s):  
Mohammad Atari ◽  
Mark H. C. Lai ◽  
Morteza Dehghani

Most of the empirical research on sex differences and cultural variations in morality has relied on within-culture analyses or small-scale cross-cultural data. To further broaden the scientific understanding of sex differences in morality, the current research relies on two international samples to provide the first large-scale examination of sex differences in moral judgements nested within cultures. Using a sample from 67 countries (Study 1; n = 336 691), we found culturally variable sex differences in moral judgements, as conceptualized by Moral Foundations Theory. Women consistently scored higher than men on Care, Fairness, and Purity. By contrast, sex differences in Loyalty and Authority were negligible and highly variable across cultures. Country-level sex differences in moral judgements were also examined in relation to cultural, socioeconomic, and gender-equality indicators revealing that sex differences in moral judgements are larger in individualist, Western, and gender-equal societies. In Study 2 (19 countries; n = 11 969), these results were largely replicated using Bayesian multi-level modelling in a distinct sample. The findings were robust when incorporating cultural non-independence of countries into the models. Specifically, women consistently showed higher concerns for Care, Fairness, and Purity in their moral judgements than did men. Sex differences in moral judgements were larger in individualist and gender-equal societies with more flexible social norms. We discuss the implications of these findings for the ongoing debate about the origin of sex differences and cultural variations in moral judgements as well as theoretical and pragmatic implications for moral and evolutionary psychology.

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 1758-1767 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven W Purcell ◽  
Watisoni Lalavanua ◽  
Brian R Cullis ◽  
Nicole Cocks

Abstract Understanding the income and costs of fishing is fundamental to managing fisheries and planning interventions to improve efficiency and gender equity. Few studies offer data on fisher incomes and fuel use in small-scale fisheries (SSFs), and fewer have assessed factors influencing variation among fishers and between genders. We interviewed 235 artisanal fishers among 34 island villages in an artisanal sea cucumber fishery in Fiji. Linear mixed models were used to determine the effect of geographic and socioeconomic variables on incomes and fuel use from fishing sea cucumbers. Net income of sea cucumbers to fishers, averaging FJ$8, 171 year−1 (US$4, 494 year−1) (range: FJ$0–52,008 year−1), varied among villages and was 47% lower for women than men. On an average, 60% of fishers’ gross annual income came from fishing and selling sea cucumbers, although this proportion varied greatly even within villages. Fishers who practised gleaning, fished less often, or possessing numerous livelihood income streams, were less economically dependent on sea cucumbers. Men tended to estimate higher incomes for an average day of fishing than women when compared with their recall of last sale. Fuel use varied greatly among regions in Fiji but, overall, averaged 428 L fisher−1 year−1, and represented 28% of gross income. More economical fishing strategies by women resulted in lower fuel use than men per fishing day. Breath-hold divers used less fuel (compared to fishers using scuba) and fishers targeting deep-water species used more fuel than other fishers. A best approximation of 8000 t CO2 year−1 for the carbon footprint of the whole fishery suggests that some SSFs, such as the one studied here, can be significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, even compared to many large-scale fisheries globally. Reforms to the management of SSFs should consider regulations that minimize carbon emissions and reduce economic dependency on vulnerable marine resources.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lace Padilla

The Morris water maze is a task adapted from the animal spatial cognition literature and has been studied in the context of sex differences in humans, particularly because of the standard design, which manipulates proximal (close) and distal (far) cues. However, there are mixed findings with respect to the interaction of cues and sex differences in virtual Morris water maze tasks, which may be attributed to variations in the scale of the space and previously unmeasured individual differences. We explore the question of scale and context by presenting participants with an outdoor virtual Morris water maze that is four times the size of the mazes previously tested. We also measured lifetime mobility and mental rotation skills. Results of this study suggest that for the small-scale environment, males and females performed similarly when asked to navigate with only proximal cues. However, males outperformed females when only distal cues were visible. In the large-scale environment, males outperformed females in both cue conditions. Additionally, greater mental rotation skills predicted better navigation performance with proximal cues only. Finally, we found that highly mobile females and males perform equally well when navigating with proximal cues.


2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoltán Boldizsár Simon

Today’s technological-scientific prospect of posthumanity simultaneously evokes and defies historical understanding. On the one hand, it implies a historical claim of an epochal transformation concerning posthumanity as a new era. On the other, by postulating the birth of a novel, better-than-human subject for this new era, it eliminates the human subject of modern Western historical understanding. In this article, I attempt to understand posthumanity as measured against the story of humanity as the story of history itself. I examine the fate of humanity as the central subject of history in three consecutive steps: first, by exploring how classical philosophies of history achieved the integrity of the greatest historical narrative of history itself through the very invention of humanity as its subject; second, by recounting how this central subject came under heavy criticism by postcolonial and gender studies in the last half-century, targeting the universalism of the story of humanity as the greatest historical narrative of history; and third, by conceptualizing the challenge of posthumanity against both the story of humanity and its criticism. Whereas criticism fragmented history but retained the possibility of smaller-scale narratives, posthumanity does not doubt the feasibility of the story of humanity. Instead, it necessarily invokes humanity, if only in order to be able to claim its supersession by a better-than-human subject. In that, it represents a fundamental challenge to the modern Western historical condition and the very possibility of historical narratives – small-scale or large-scale, fragmented or universal.


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Walter

This article analyses the visibility of European Union (EU) citizens in EU news during the 2009 European Parliament election. It argues that the presence of EU citizens in EU news is vital for responsiveness of European governance. First, the theoretical notion of EU citizens is considered. Next, a new way of defining EU citizens is proposed: EU citizens are divided into national and supranational EU citizens. The visibility of EU citizens in EU news of 27 EU member states is analysed aiming to explain cross-country differences. The paper is based on a large-scale content analysis of TV and newspaper articles gathered during the 2009 European Parliament election. To explain different levels of visibility, a multi-level analysis is carried out. The results suggest that EU citizens are visible in the EU news, yet, their presence strongly varies across countries. The findings indicate that explanations for different levels of visibility can be found at both the media and country level.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Neha S. Singh ◽  
Orit Abrahim ◽  
Chiara Altare ◽  
Karl Blanchet ◽  
Caroline Favas ◽  
...  

AbstractHumanitarian organizations have developed innovative and context specific interventions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as guidance has been normative in nature and most are not humanitarian specific. In April 2020, three universities developed a COVID-19 humanitarian-specific website (www.covid19humanitarian.com) to allow humanitarians from the field to upload their experiences or be interviewed by academics to share their creative responses adapted to their specific country challenges in a standardised manner. These field experiences are reviewed by the three universities together with various guidance documents and uploaded to the website using an operational framework. The website currently hosts 135 guidance documents developed by 65 different organizations, and 65 field experiences shared by 29 organizations from 27 countries covering 38 thematic areas. Examples of challenges and innovative solutions from humanitarian settings are provided for triage and sexual and gender-based violence. Offering open access resources on a neutral platform by academics can provide a space for constructive dialogue among humanitarians at the country, regional and global levels, allowing humanitarian actors at the country level to have a strong and central voice. We believe that this neutral and openly accessible platform can serve as an example for future large-scale emergencies and epidemics.


2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolin Krautz ◽  
Stefan Hoffmann

Purpose Extant research shows that acquiescence response style (ARS) is culture-bound and may bias the results of comparative cross-cultural studies. Conventional measures of ARS are difficult to apply in practice. To overcome this limitation, the purpose of this paper is to propose an alternative, practice-oriented measure, namely, pARS. The authors apply Hofstede’s cultural dimensions (Hofstede et al., 2010) to test whether pARS is culture-bound. The cross-cultural study provides a high level of cross-cultural generalisability due to the extensive number of surveyed countries (n=30) and subjects (n=236.089). The authors run multi-level analysis to identify within- and between-country-level predictors. Design/methodology/approach On the individual level, the authors use data of a large-scale cross-cultural study, including 236.089 consumers from 30 countries worldwide. The authors apply several methods to test for the culture-boundness of pARS. First, they apply correlation analysis to replicate existing cross-cultural results and to ensure nomological validity. Second, applying ordinary least square regression, the authors simultaneously test the six Hofstede cultural dimensions (Hofstede et al., 2010) and investigate interactions between the dimensions. Finally, they use multi-level analysis to confirm the stability of culture-bound results, controlling for individual- and country-level variability. Findings The paper introduces an alternative measure for acquiescence (pARS), which is particularly suitable for shorter questionnaires. A large-scale consumer study with 236.089 respondents in 30 countries supports the culture-bound validity of pARS. The authors confirm construct validity and the nomological network of pARS. Contrasting existing studies, multi-level analysis demonstrates that a high level of power distance majorly leads to ARS. Therefore, cross-cultural researchers need to control for ARS in countries high in power distance, especially when paired with high uncertainty avoidance. Originality/value A large-scale consumer study with 236.089 respondents from 30 countries shows that respondents from various countries differ significantly in their level of acquiescence. The study confirms that power distance is the most relevant cultural dimension to explain these differences. Although ARS may bias the results of comparative cross-cultural studies, it is rarely controlled by market research studies outside the academic realm. The present work proposes and establishes the validity of a practice-oriented measure of acquiescence, namely, pARS. pARS is particularly suitable for shorter questionnaires. In contrast to prior approaches, applying pARS does not require adding non-substantive items to the questionnaire.


2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikola Cobanovic ◽  
Urska Jamnikar-Ciglenecki ◽  
Andrej Kirbis ◽  
Manja Krizman ◽  
Marina Stukelj ◽  
...  

Introduction. This study assessed the effect of farming system, feeding system, floor type, housing density and gender on the occurrence of pathological lesions in slaughtered pigs. Materials and Methods. The study was conducted on 400 pigs from four farms with different housing conditions. The plucks of 100 slaughtered pigs from each farm were examined for pneumonia, pleurisy, pericarditis and milk spots. Results and Conclusions. Pigs housed in a large-scale indoor farm had the lowest incidence of pneumonia. The highest occurrence of pneumonia was recorded in pigs fattened in a small-scale farm in pens with outdoor access. Pigs reared on farms in pens with outdoor access had the highest incidence of milk spots. Pigs from farms using pellet feeding systems had higher incidences of pneumonia, pleurisy and milk spots than those from a farm using a liquid feeding system. A rearing system comprising concrete floors without bedding resulted in the highest incidence of pneumonia in pigs. Pigs from a farm using a concrete floor with bedding had the highest occurrence of milk spots. The lowest incidence of milk spots was recorded in pigs from farms using fully-slatted floors. Compared to low housing density, high housing density resulted in higher incidences of pneumonia, pericarditis and milk spots in pigs. A higher prevalence of lung lesions was detected in barrows than in gilts. This study showed the most significant risk factors for the occurrence of pathological lesions in slaughtered pigs are pens with outdoor access, pellet feeding system, concrete floor, high housing density and gender.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 887-888
Author(s):  
Amber Heemskerk ◽  
Tian Lin ◽  
Elizabeth Harris ◽  
Natalie Ebner ◽  
Jay Van Bavel

Abstract The COVID-19 global pandemic has brought far-reaching consequences on individual and societal levels. Social distancing and physical hygiene constitute effective public health measures to limit the spread of the virus. The current study investigates individual age and gender demographics, in interaction with a country’s human development index (HDI), as crucial factors influencing compliance with public health measures in a large multi-national adult lifespan sample. This report leverages data from a large-scale international collaboration (Van Bavel et al., 2020; https://psyarxiv.com/ydt95/) comprising 45,576 individuals from 66 countries/territories. Participants provided self-reports of their compliance/agreement with three public health measures (i.e., spatial distancing, physical hygiene, policy support). Older age, female gender, and lower HDI were independently associated with greater compliance with public health measures. In addition, a significant three-way interaction between participant age, participant gender, and a country’s HDI revealed that compliance was lowest in younger adults from well-developed countries, while compliance was highest among females across all ages from less-developed countries. Compliance with public health measures is crucial in effectively reducing coronavirus spread. Our findings suggest that age and gender as individual-level demographics, in tandem with HDI as a country-level predictor, affect individuals’ willingness to comply with public health measures. These results highlight the potential of data-driven, tailored (i.e., towards specific demographics) health campaigns and public policies in the fight against a global pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cevat Giray Aksoy

We provide the first large-scale evidence on self-selection of refugees and irregular migrants who arrived in Europe in 2015 or 2016. Our analysis uses unique datasets from the International Organization for Migration and Gallup World Polls. We find that refugees are positively self-selected with respect to human capital, as are female irregular migrants. Male irregular migrants are negatively self-selected. These patterns hold whether analyzing individually stated main reason to emigrate, country-level conflict intensity, or sub-regional conflict intensity. Several additional analyses show that our results are unlikely to be driven by omitted variable bias or liquidity constraints. We offer a theoretical framework to explain these patterns, by extending the Roy-Borjas model to include risks related to staying in an unsafe country of origin, risks related to migration, and gender specific returns to human capital.


1996 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
D M Mark ◽  
A U Frank

In this paper human experience and perception of phenomena and relations in space are studied. This focus is in contrast to previous work where space and spatial relations were examined as objective phenomena of the world. This study leads in turn to a goal: to identify models of space that can be used both in cognitive science and in the design and implementation of geographic information systems (GISs). Experiential models of the world are based on sensorimotor and visual experiences with environments, and form in individual minds, as the associated bodies and senses experience their worlds. Formal models consist of axioms expressed in a formal language, together with mathematical rules to infer conclusions from these axioms. In this paper we will review both types of models, considering each to be an abstraction of the same ‘real world’. The review of experiential models is based primarily on recent developments in cognitive science, expounded by Rosch, Johnson, Talmy, and especially Lakoff. In these models it is suggested that perception and cognition are driven by image-schemata and other mental models, often language-based. Cross-cultural variations are admitted and even emphasized. The ways in which people interact with small-scale (‘tabletop’) spaces filled with everyday objects are in sharp contrast to the ways in which they experience geographic (large-scale) spaces during wayfinding and other spatial activities. We then address the issue of the ‘objective’ geometry of geographic space. If objectivity is defined by measurement, this leads to a surveyor's view and a near-Euclidean geometry. These models are then related to issues in the design of GISs. To be implemented on digital computers, geometric concepts and models must be formalized. The idea of a formal geometry of natural language is discussed and some aspects of it are presented. Formalizing the links between cognitive categories and models on the one hand and between geometry and computer representations on the other are key elements in the research agenda.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document