The Differentiating Role of Gender in Choosing Preferred Values in the Group of Young Catholics

Abstract

Differences in the views of men and women have been taken into account in many large-scale compar-ative studies. One of the elements determining gender differences is value preference. Shalom Schwartz developed the concept of the circular value model, and its elements can be described in four main areas:

Self-Enhancement, Conservation, Self-Transcendence and Openness to change. The gender differ-ences within the preferred values according to Schwartz's theory in the group of Polish Catholics have not been studied. A study conducted on a group of 407 young Polish Catholics with the use of the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ2-M) by S. Schwartz, in the Polish adaptation of J. Cieciuch (2012), showed statistically significant differences between the studied sex groups within the preferred values. It turns out that girls and women prefer universalism (in terms of tolerance and concern) and benevolence (in its two aspects) more than boys and men, which make up the area of Self-Transcendence. Boys and men, on the other hand, have higher scores on the power scales (dominance and resources), resulting in a higher score for Self-Enhancement. The obtained differences were discussed taking into account var-ious research perspectives.