Age Differences in Leadership Positions Across Cultures

Abstract

In most countries around the world, the population is rapidly aging. A by-product of these demographic shifts is that older adults will likely occupy more positions of power and influence in our societies than ever before. Further, cultural differences might shape how these transitions unfold around the globe. Across two studies, we investigated whether business and political leaders differed in age across various cultures. Study 1 (N = 1,034) showed that business leaders were significantly older in Eastern (e.g., China, India, and Japan) cultures than Western (e.g., United States, Sweden, and United Kingdom) cultures, even while controlling for population structure (e.g., percentage of elderly in the society), gross domestic product (GDP), and wealth distribution across the population (GINI). Study 2 (N = 1,268) conceptually replicated these findings by showing that political leaders were once again older in Eastern vs. Western cultures. Furthermore, cultural tightness mediated the relationship between culture and older leadership. These findings highlight how cultural differences impact not only our preferences, but also important outcomes in consequential domains such as business and politics. Potential explanations for why cultural tightness may be related to differences in leader age across cultures are discussed. To build on these findings, future research should assess the potential causal mechanisms underlying the cultural effect on leader age, and explore the various practical implications of this effect.

Comparing self‐esteem discrepancies in Pakistan and Canada

“…This limited focus has led to several gaps in the literature in terms of better understanding large countries including Pakistan. The current work contributes to this shortcoming by adding to recent research examining differences in understudied cultures such as Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey (Azevedo et al., 2022; Vaughan‐Johnston et al., 2021; Vignoles et al., 2016).…”

“…This limited focus has led to several gaps in the literature in terms of better understanding large countries including Pakistan. The current work contributes to this shortcoming by adding to recent research examining differences in understudied cultures such as Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey (Azevedo et al, 2022;Vaughan-Johnston et al, 2021;Vignoles et al, 2016). We proposed that Pakistanis may show less positive self-esteem discrepancies (than do Canadians) because Pakistan is a joint product of honour-based principles and South Asian argumentative-interdependent influences.…”

Motivation and Age Revisited: The Impact of Outcome and Process Orientations on Temporal Focus in Older and Younger Adults

“…Emerging research also indicates that although this pattern has been widespread in industrialized economies for decades, developing nations are now beginning to show similar patterns of societal aging [14]. In turn, aging populations have a significant impact on how societies function across a diverse range of domains including the composition of the workforce, supply and demand in healthcare services, how social assistance and pension systems are constituted [13], and the types of leaders that are preferred [15]. Considering that these demographic shifts will change the very fabric of our societies, it is imperative that researchers devote more attention to better understanding older populations.…”

Self- and Other-Orientation in High Rank: A Cultural Psychological Approach to Social Hierarchy

“…Ascribed status characteristics, such as age, sex, or familial class background, which are determined through birth and therefore fairly stable, may differ more widely in their importance across cultures. For example, age is a very important component of social ranking in East Asian cultural contexts (Sung, 2001), and recent research found that business and political leaders were significantly older in East Asian compared to Western cultural contexts (Vaughan-Johnston et al, 2021). Moreover, individuals from the French cultural context acknowledged that familial class background was a more important basis for occupying high rank compared to individuals from an American cultural context (Gobel & Kim, 2023).…”