A gender empathy gap, sometimes referred to as an gender empathy bias, is a gendered breakdown or difference in empathy (the ability to recognize, understand, and share another's thoughts and feelings) where it might otherwise be expected to occur. Empathy gaps may occur due to a failure in the process of empathizing based on gender of either the person who should be empathizing or the person in need of empathy [1] or as a consequence of stable personality characteristics, [2] [3] [4] and may reflect either a lack of ability or motivation to empathize. Many studies show that females have an on-average advantage in empathic accuracy skills. [5] [6]
Studies have consistently found that women report higher levels of empathy than men. [7] According to some studies, females may recognize facial expressions and emotions more accurately and quickly than males, particularly in interpreting neutral body language. Additionally, females tend to recognize male expressions of anger more accurately, while males may better recognize female expressions of happiness.
Gender differences in empathy have also been observed in other species, including gorillas, rats, and corvids, with females generally showing higher levels of empathetic behavior than males. [8]
A systematic review examining gender differences in empathy among medical students found that female students consistently exhibited higher empathy levels than their male counterparts. This review included 30 studies with diverse sample sizes and geographic representation, increasing the robustness of its findings. [9] Researchers have hypothesized that females' empathetic performance may be influenced by motivation—suggesting that when women perceive a situation as requiring empathy, they tend to perform better, but may otherwise show no significant difference from men. [10]
Females also tend to score higher on "theory of mind" assessments. A large-scale study of over 300,000 participants across 57 countries found that women outperformed men on the widely used "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" test, which measures cognitive empathy. [11]
From birth, male and female infants respond differently to emotional stimuli. Female neonates are more likely to cry when hearing other infants cry, and they make more eye contact than male infants. [12] [13] Some researchers believe that these early differences in responsiveness and eye contact may contribute to the development of stronger empathic skills in females over time. [12]
The women-are-wonderful effect is a well-documented psychological phenomenon describing the tendency of both men and women to view women more positively than men, particularly in terms of warmth, empathy, and morality. First introduced by social psychologists Alice Eagly and Antonio Mladinic in the early 1990s, the effect has been replicated across cultures and is considered a foundational mechanism contributing to the gender empathy gap.
This favorable bias increases the likelihood of empathizing with women more readily than with men. When women are perceived as more vulnerable or morally deserving, their suffering may be interpreted as more serious or urgent. This can result in:
A 2019 study published in Psychology of Men & Masculinity found that both male and female participants were significantly more likely to feel compassion for a physically injured female subject than for a male subject in the same scenario. [14]
Although the women-are-wonderful effect is most pronounced in Western, gender-egalitarian societies, meta-analyses suggest it persists globally, especially in cultures where women are expected to fulfill nurturing or caregiving roles. The effect’s strength appears to correlate with societal gender norms: the more strongly women are associated with moral virtue and communal traits, the more empathy they tend to receive when harmed.
Two studies examined responses to sexual assault research, particularly focusing on how hostile sexism predicts skepticism. In the first study, U.S. men were surveyed about their sexism levels and then asked about their skepticism towards different research summaries. Hostile sexism was found to strongly correlate with doubt towards sexual assault statistics, more so than towards other topics like breast cancer or alcohol abuse. [15] The second study tested if self-affirmation could mitigate this skepticism but found it ineffective. This suggests that deeper educational strategies might be necessary to address biases that dismiss sexual assault research due to sexist views. [16]
Other literature also shows that both males and females can sometimes exhibit benevolent sexism. [17] When negative stereotypes are held on the basis of sex or gender this is known as hostile sexism.
Studies suggest that sexism and gender roles impact mental health outcomes as males are discouraged from appearing weak which impacts health seeking behaviour in males as they struggle to conform to gender roles where vulnerability is discouraged. [18]