Culture and Gender Inequality: Psychological Consequences of Perceiving Gender Inequality

While previous research linking perceptions of gender inequality and psychological wellbeing were seen in light of the proposition that people from different cultures differ in their beliefs about how justifiable gender inequality is, this research investigates these differences and their psychological consequences using cross-cultural comparisons. The results show that Hong Kong Chinese women see gender inequality as less unjust (Study 1) and less unfair (Study 2) and valued gender equality less (Study 2) than European/American women did. Gender inequality caused anger (Study 1) and predicted reduced life satisfaction (Study 2) more among European/American women than among Hong Kong Chinese women. Implications for cross-cultural tolerance are discussed.