Less Equal, Less Satisfied? Gender Inequality Hampers Adults' Subjective Well-Being via Gender-Role Attitudes

Gender inequality is one of the main barriers to human well-being. In societies with higher levels of gender inequality, people have lower levels of life satisfaction and happiness. However, previous studies have found inconsistent results in terms of whether gender inequality affects men's and women's subjective well-being differently. Furthermore, the psychological mechanisms by which gender inequality is associated with subjective well-being are still relatively underexplored. This study aimed to examine the following: (1) whether gender inequality would be associated with adults' subjective well-being; (2) whether gender-role attitudes would mediate the effect of gender inequality on subjective well-being; and (3) whether the associations among gender inequality, gender-role attitudes, and subjective well-being would vary by gender. Drawing on data from 4,132 adults from 28 provinces in China (53.6% women; M-age = 50.95, SD = 16.92), multilevel analyses showed that adults in provinces with higher levels of gender inequality reported lower subjective well-being seven years later; moreover, this association was present not only among women, but also among men. Furthermore, multilevel mediation models indicated that less egalitarian gender-role attitudes accounted for the detrimental effects of gender inequality on subjective well-being. Our findings suggest the critical need to reduce socio-structural gender biases and stereotypical gender-role attitudes which hamper subjective well-being not only among women, but also among men.

Automated summary

Gender inequality is a major barrier to human well-being, with societies that have higher levels of gender inequality experiencing lower levels of life satisfaction and happiness. Previous studies have produced inconsistent results on how gender inequality affects men's and women's subjective well-being differently, and the psychological mechanisms involved are still not well understood. This study aimed to determine the association between gender inequality and adults' subjective well-being, the mediating role of gender-role attitudes, and whether these associations vary by gender. The findings showed that higher levels of gender inequality were associated with lower subjective well-being among adults in Chinese provinces, and this association applied to both men and women. Less egalitarian gender-role attitudes were found to mediate the detrimental effects of gender inequality on subjective well-being. These results underscore the importance of reducing socio-structural gender biases and stereotypical gender-role attitudes to improve subjective well-being for both men and women.