Title The gender gap in the care economy is larger in highly developed countries: sociocultural explanations for paradoxical findings
Authors Block, Katharina ; Olsson, Maria I. T ; van Grootel, Sanne ; Schuster, Carolin ; Meeussen, Loes ; Van Laar, Colette ; Martiny, Sarah ; Croft, Alyssa ; Sun, Molly Shuyi ; Wee, Sheila ; Ainsaar, Mare ; Aarntzen, Lianne ; Adamus, Magdalena ; Anderson, Joel ; Atkinson, Ciara ; Avicenna, Mohamad ; Bąbel, Przemysław ; Barth, Markus ; Benson-Greenwald, Tessa M ; Maloku, Edona ; Berent, Jacques ; Bergsieker, Hilary B ; Biernat, Monica ; Bîrneanu, Andreea G ; Bodinaku, Blerta ; Bosak, Janine ; Bosson, Jennifer ; Branković, Marija ; Burkauskas, Julius ; Čavojová, Vladimíra ; Cheryan, Sapna ; Choi, Eunsoo ; Choi, Incheol ; Contreras-Ibáñez, Carlos C ; Coogan, Andrew ; Danyliuk, Ivan ; Dar-Nimrod, Ilan ; Dasgupta, Nilanjana ; de Lemus, Soledad ; Devos, Thierry ; Diab, Marwan ; Diekman, Amanda B ; Efremova, Maria ; Eisner, Léïla ; Eller, Anja ; Erentaitė, Rasa ; Fedáková, Denisa ; Franc, Renata ; Gartzia, Leire ; Gavreliuc, Alin ; Gavreliuc, Dana ; Gecaite-Stonciene, Julija ; Germano, Adriana L ; Giovannelli, Ilaria ; Gismondi Diaz, Renzo ; Gitikhmayeva, Lyudmila ; Menkir Gizaw, Abiy ; Gjoneska, Biljana ; González, Omar Martínez ; González, Roberto ; Grijalva, Isaac David ; Güngör, Derya ; Gustafsson Sendén, Marie ; Hall, William ; Harb, Charles ; Hassan, Bushra ; Hässler, Tabea ; Hawi, Diala R ; Henningsen, Levke ; Hoppe, Annedore ; Ishii, Keiko ; Jakšić, Ivana ; Jasini, Alba ; Jurkevičienė, Jurgita ; Kelmendi, Kaltrina ; Kirby, Teri A ; Kitakaji, Yoko ; Kosakowska-Berezecka, Natasza ; Kozytska, Inna ; Kulich, Clara ; Kundtová-Klocová, Eva ; Kunuroglu, Filiz ; Lapytskaia Aidy, Christina ; Lee, Albert ; Eneroth, Anna ; López-López, Wilson ; Luzvinda, Liany ; Maricchiolo, Fridanna ; Martinot, Delphine ; McNamara, Rita Anne ; Meister, Alyson ; Melka, Tizita Lemma ; Mickuviene, Narseta ; Miranda-Orrego, María Isabel ; Mkamwa, Thadeus ; Morandini, James ; Morton, Thomas ; Mrisho, David ; Nikitin, Jana ; Otten, Sabine ; Pacilli, Maria Giuseppina ; Page-Gould, Elizabeth ; Perandrés-Gómez, Ana ; Pizarro, Jon ; Pop-Jordanova, Nada ; Pyrkosz-Pacyna, Joanna ; Qouta, Samir ; Ramis, TamilSelvan ; Rani, Nitya ; Redersdorff, Sandrine ; Régner, Isabelle ; Renström, Emma A ; Rivera-Rodriguez, Adrian ; Rocha-Sánchez, Tania E ; Ryabichenko, Tatiana ; Saab, Rim ; Sakata, Kiriko ; Samekin, Adil ; Sánchez-Pachecho, Tracy ; Scheifele, Carolin ; Schulmeyer, Marion K ; Sczesny, Sabine ; Sirlopú, David ; Smith-Castro, Vanessa ; Soo, Kadri ; Spaccatini, Federica ; Steele, Jennifer R ; Steffens, Melanie C ; Sucic, Ines ; Vandello, Joseph ; Velásquez-Díaz, Laura Maria ; Vink, Melissa ; Vives, Eva ; Warkineh, Turuwark Zalalam ; Žeželj, Iris ; Zhang, Xiaoxiao ; Zhao, Xian ; Schmader, Toni
DOI 10.1037/amp0001512
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Is Part of American psychologist.. Washington : American Psychological Association. 2026, vol. 81, iss. 2, p. 221-237.. ISSN 0003-066X. eISSN 1935-990X
Keywords [eng] gender differences ; communal values ; national gender roles ; career interest ; gender equality paradox
Abstract [eng] Despite the growing demand for care economy employees (e.g., nurses, teachers, and social workers), men remain underrepresented in these careers. While economically developed countries support more equal rights for women and men, their labor markets are highly gender segregated (Charles, 1992, 2003). We conducted a focused investigation of this paradoxical pattern in the care economy, testing whether gender gaps in care economy career interest are larger in more economically developed countries and, if so, what psychological and cultural factors underlie these patterns. We examined these questions with labor data from 70 countries (Study 1) and a preregistered study of career interests among 19,240 university students from 49 countries (Study 2). Although more economically developed countries tend to promote greater gender equality, our results reveal that the gender gap in care economy representation (Study 1) and interest (Study 2) is especially large in such countries. We did not observe parallel patterns for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics representation or interest. Results from Study 2 supported an integrated theoretical account of this development paradox in care economy interest: Cross-national variation in the gender gap in care economy interest was predicted by country-level variation in economic development and individualism/collectivism but not by self-expression values or country-level gender equality, countering prior (controversial) claims of a gender equality paradox. Furthermore, larger gender gaps in communal values (e.g., men’s lower valuing of helping and caring for others) were a proximal predictor of larger gender gaps in care economy interest in highly economically developed countries.
Published Washington : American Psychological Association
Type Journal article
Language English
Publication date 2026
CC license CC license description