Howwideisthegenderempathygap?RicoFischer

JordanHolbrookJohnBarry

MalePsychologyNetworkContact john.barry@ucl.ac.uk

GenderEmpathyGap

• DescribedbyCollins (2016)• Seenin“…situationswherewefeellessempathyformenthatwewouldforwomeninasimilarsituation”– BarryJA(2016).Canpsychologybridgethegenderempathygap?SouthWestReview,Winter2016,31–36

• Anattributionbias(Gawronski,2004).

MaleGenderBlindness(Seager etal,2014;Russetal,2015)

• Suicide(ONS,2015)• Domesticviolence(Strauss,2010)• Workplacedeaths(InsideMan,2015)

Empathy• Itisareliableresearchfindingthatwomenshowmoreempathythanmendo (e.g.Batsonetal.,1996; Macaskill etal.,2002).

• Empathymightberelatedtootherfactorstoo– Blameislesswhensituationalfactors areresponsibleratherthantheperson (Gawronski,2004)

– Thismaybeespeciallyincollectivistcultures(e.g.Choietal,1999).

– Bodyfocusaffectsmindperception,lessermoralagentsbutgreatermoralpatients(Gray etal,2011).

– Empathytopainmodulatedbyfairness(Singeretal,2006).

Findingsinchildren

• Bothadolescentboysandgirlsproducemoreempathytowardsafictionalwomancomparedtoafictionalman(Stuijfzand etal.,2016)

• Studiesofchildrenandadolescentshavefoundsimilar(Bryant,1982;Olweus andEndresen,1998).

• Todate,noresearchintoempathygapinadults

Bryant,1982 Stuijfzand etal,2016

MenandBoysMaintaintheGap(Chivalry/Gynocentrism)

Possiblecausesofgenderempathygap

• ‘Womenarewonderful’effect(Eagly &Mladinic,1994)– ‘haloeffect’wherewomenareseenaswarmandnurturing– Contrastwithstereotypeofmenasviolent

• It’snormalformenandwomentocaremoreaboutwomenthanmen(Rudman&Goodwin,2004)– ContratoSocialIdentityTheory(Tajfel andTurner,1979)

• Maledisposability(Farrell,1993)– Menaremoreexpendablebecausenumbersofwomenaremore

importanttobirthratesthannumbersofmen– Evolutionaryforcesshapeculturetoensuresurvival

• Shemorethanhe:genderbiassupportstheempathicnatureofyawncontagioninHomosapiens(Norscia,Demuru andPalagi,2016).AlsoobservedinBonobos(Demuru andPalagi,2012)– suggestsbioinfluences.(Yawncontagionisinfluencedbyemotional,notdistal,proximity.)

• PairBonding,PaternalInvestment,SizeSexualDimorphism(&PelvicStructure),SexualDivisionofLabour,AlloparentingandDiet(helpedfacilitatealtricial,fattierandbigbrainedneonates).

• SexualHistoryandExperience(RudmanandGoodwin,2004)

Method

• Cross-sectionalonlinesurvey• Participantsradomly presentedwith15storiesofeitheraman/boyinadifficultsituationorwoman/girlinthesamesituation

• Empathywasmeasuredas– ratingofthepersonnotbeingtoblame(empathyforperson)

– ratingforthecontextnotbeingtoblame(lessempathyforperson)

Emphysema• Awomanstartedcoughingbloodandwasadmittedtotheemergencyroom.Shewassufferingfromemphysemaafter40yearsofsmokingcigarettes.Shewasorderedtostopsmokingandwasprescribedamedicalinhaler.

• Howmuchdoyouagreewiththefollowingstatements?[Totallyagree– Totallydisagree]

• [Person]:Ifsmokingcausedhercondition,thensheshouldpayforthetreatment.

• [Context]:Morehealthpromotionworkisneededtohelpwomenstopsmoking.

Lackingfriends

• AYouGov surveysuggeststhataround28%ofteenageboyshavenoclosefriendstheycanturntoinacrisis.

• [Person]:Ifboyswantfriendsitisuptothemtogooutandmakesomefriends.

• [Context]:Thegovernmentshouldcreatecommunityoutreachprogramstogetboystogethersothattheyhavefriends.

Burglary

• Amanwasrushinglateforworkoneearlymorningand,asheranoutofthedoor,heforgottolockit.Infact,whenhetriedslammingthedoorbehindhimwhenrunningout,itbouncedslightlyajar.Whenhereturnedfromwork,hefoundhehadbeenrobbed.

• [Person]:Heisatleastinparttoblamefortherobbery.

• [Context]:MoreneedstobedoneforCommunityWatchprograms.

Homeless• Ahomelessmanalmostfrozetodeathoutsideamajordepartmentstoreandonlyrecoveredafterahospitaltreatment.Thedepartmentstoreclaimedthatitdidnotallowroughsleepingoutsidetheirpremises,andthereforedeniedresponsibilityforhissuffering.

• [Person,reversed]:Departmentstoresshouldallowhomelessmentosleepoutsideoftheirpremisesifneeded.

• [Context,reversed]:Homelessmenshouldtakemoreresponsibilityforwheretheysleep.

Participantsandanalysis

• 2*2(Gender ofParticipant*Gender ofCharacter)betweengroupsANCOVAcontrollingforage

• 364recruitedonlineforsmallfee• UK,nationallyrepresentativesample– 86%rejectedasdidsurveytooquickly(<15minutes)

• Finalsample– 21men&30women– mean(SD)age41.1(12.8),similarinmen&women

Preliminaryfindings

• Datajustin– thereareothervariablestobeassessed

Genderandempathy

• Nottakingthegenderofthecharacterintoaccount,in6of7questionsthatweresignificant,womenshowedmoreempathythanmen– Supportspreviousresearch

GenderofCharacter

• Significantlymoreempathyforwomen– Burglary(person)(F=5.133,p<.028)– Emphysema(context)(F=5.064,p<.029)– Lackingfriends(context)(F=5.072,p<.029)– Homeless(person)(F=4.142,p<.048)

InteractionbetweenGenderofParticipantand GenderofCharacter

• Emphysema(context)(F=8.105,p<.007)–Menthoughtthecontextlesstoblamewhenitwasaman(4vs2.3)

– womenthoughtthecontextwaslesstoblamewhenitwasawoman(1.7vs1.9)

– Thusbothmenandwomenthoughttheirowngenderwasmoretoblameforemphysema

Conclusions

• Someevidenceforgenderempathygapagainstmen– 4of30questionsweresignificantlymoresympathetictowomen

• Empathypossiblyrelatedtospecificstory– Topicality,realisticetc

• Largerreplicationneeded– Difficultyinthisstudyofparticipantsexcludedforspeedingthroughthestudycarelessly