Gender Differences in Personality Traits and Average Personality States: Using Experience Sampling to Circumvent Bias in Self-Reports

Small gender differences in personality traits are consistently found in personality research. Common explanations discuss evolutionary causes, social roles and gender norms, and assessment biases. The latter corresponds with findings and models from research on emotional self-reports which suggest that different judgment processes take place in self-reports depending on the time frame that is being reported on. Gender differences in personality traits could thus stem from people relying on their self-image, identity, and gender norms when answering global trait questionnaires. Results from two German-speaking samples of N = 324 older adults and N = 1,685 younger adults revealed gender differences in global trait scores for emotional stability, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, but non-significant and smaller differences in corresponding average state scores. The findings are in line with theory suggesting that average state reports might be less biased, whereas global trait reports might include stereotypes and identity.