Gender Differences in Personal Values

Abstract

Abstract Researches on gender differences have been widely applied in various disciplines. The topics of those researches include biological, cognitive, behavioral, and social domain. Behavioral differences between men and women can be caused by differences in personal values. The purpose of this study was to determine the personal value differences between men and women. The subjects were 135 students (74 women, 61 men) of University of Pelita Harapan Surabaya. They were asked to fill out the Schwartz Value Survey (SVS). According to Schwartz, values are categorized into ten types. The results showed that there were no personal value differences on the type of conformity, stimulation, tradition, benevolence, self-direction, hedonism, and security (p>0.05) between men and women. However, there were differences on the type of universalism, achievement, and power (p<0.05). Of those three types, the average personal values of men were higher than women. This confirms the previous study which showed that men view achievement, motivation, and extrinsic motivators; such as power, as something important.