Autonomy Development: Gender and Age Differences from Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood

Abstract

The development of autonomy during the transition to adulthood may present itself in different forms, depending on age, gender and cultural variations. Grounded in developmental psychology, this study examined gender and age differences in autonomy in Brazilian youth. Participants were 154 Brazilian adolescents and emerging adults (14-33 years old, M= 20.87, SD= 3.74, 50% female) from the state capital of Rio de Janeiro. Our findings indicate a positive association between age and autonomy scores in the Kağitçibaşi’s Autonomous, Related and Related-autonomous Self scales. Correlation results showed gender specific results in such associations, such as that for men, age was positively associated with autonomy, whereas for women, it was associated with related-autonomy. These results suggest that, in Brazil, traditional views continue to reinforce gender roles towards men’s agentic behavior and women’s communal behavior. These findings highlight the importance of elucidating gender differences in the development of autonomy in different sociocultural contexts.

Institutionalization And Autonomy In Adolescents And Youth

“…Research results are more coherent when it comes to age. Several studies (Graça et al, 2010;Dutra-Thomé et al, 2019) point out that older adolescents exhibit better levels of autonomy, as expected.…”

“…When focusing on gender differences, those variances are nowadays less important than they were in the past. In fact, male and female show autonomous behaviors at different stages of their adolescence, however, this gender equality is not evident in all cultural contexts (Dutra-Thomé et al, 2019). It should also be noted that the studies conducted so far are not yet able to provide a consensus on the relevance of this variable in autonomy development.…”

Psychological Well-Being and Youth Autonomy: Comparative Analysis of Spain and Colombia

“…According to Glynn and Mayock (2019) and Isakov and Hrnčić (2018), the strength of a young person's family environment translates into differences in their psychological well-being; hence the need to develop interventions specifically designed to provide stability during people's transition to adulthood. Similarly, authors such as Fousiani et al (2014); Liga et al (2017), Schofield et al (2017), andDutra-Thomé et al (2019) consider that the possibility of achieving autonomy and independence is shaped by certain contextual variables that affect the configuration of the expectations forged by each individual throughout their life; this requires assessing whether the lack of equality during this transition has any effect on the way in which people decide on their longterm goals. Further analysis of the dimensions measured by the EDATVA showed that the Colombian sample presented higher scores in the critical capacity and self-organization dimensions, and the mean scores of the context analysis and sociopolitical involvement dimensions were very similar for both samples.…”

“…These factors will influence with greater or lesser intensity depending on the environment studied, which could explain the differences observed in the level of autonomy between Spanish and Colombian youth, in addition to interacting with individual barriers that reduce the subject's ability to access autonomy within of the same analysis scenario (Brim et al, 2019). In addition, it should be borne in mind that the knowledge about the problems individuals face in achieving their autonomy is limited, despite the indirect relevance of these on psychological well-being (Dutra-Thomé et al, 2019).…”

“…In this regard, the multiple relationships built by individuals and the infinite possibilities for experimentation allow for the development of commitment with one's expectations and the increase of psychological well-being, two dimensions that have an effect on an individual's ability to overcome personal challenges (Gaxiola and Palomar, 2016;Maurya and Ojha, 2017;Vinayak and Judge, 2018;Dutra-Thomé et al, 2019).…”