quality of life.”^70 Gender roles are highly defined and promote achievement in the
workplace.“Assertiveness and the acquisition of money and things (materialism)”^71
are emphasized and often take precedence over interpersonal relationships.
The United States offers an example of the influence of strong gender roles in a
masculine-based culture (see Table 6.7 for rankings). Despite the high level of eco-
nomic development and stress on gender equality, in the United States, women
continue to occupy a disproportionately low level of political empowerment. This
is reflected in the number of women holding public office in 2014. Women were
elected to only ninety-nine (18.5 percent)of the 535 combined seats available in
the United States Senate and the House of Representatives. Of the 7,383 total
number of United States state legislative positions, women held 1,787 (24.5 per-
cent) in 2014.^72Femininity. Cultures that value femininity as a trait stress nurturing behaviors.“A soci-
ety is called feminine when emotional gender roles overlap: Both men and women are
supposed to be modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life.”^73 A feminine
worldview maintains that men need not be assertive and that they can assume nurtur-
ing roles. It also promotes sexual equality and holds that people and the environment
are important. Interdependence and androgynous behavior are the ideals, and people
sympathize with the less fortunate. In contrast to the masculine culture reflected by
the number of women in the U.S. Congress, Norway and Sweden, the two nations
at the top of Hofstede’s femininity ratings, have significantly greater representation
by women in public office. After Sweden’s general election in 2010, women occupiedTABLE 6.7 Masculinity Values for Fifty Countries and Three Regions
RANK COUNTRY RANK COUNTRY RANK COUNTRY
1 Japan 18/19 Hong Kong 37/38 Spain
2/3 Austria 20/21 Argentina 37/38 Peru
2/3 Venezuela 20/21 India 39 East Africa
4/5 Italy 22 Belgium 40 El Salvador
4/5 Switzerland 23 Arab countries 41 South Korea
6 Mexico 24 Canada 42 Uruguay
7/8 Ireland 25/26 Malaysia 43 Guatemala
7/8 Jamaica 25/26 Pakistan 44 Thailand
9/10 Great Britain 27 Brazil 45 Portugal
9/10 Germany 28 Singapore 46 Chile
11/12 Philippines 29 Israel 47 Finland
11/12 Colombia 30/31 Indonesia 48/49 Yugoslavia
13/14 South Africa 30/31 West Africa 48/49 Costa Rica
13/14 Ecuador 32/33 Turkey 50 Denmark
15 United States 32/33 Taiwan 51 Netherlands
16 Australia 34 Panama 52 Norway
17 New Zealand 35/36 Iran 53 Sweden
18/19 Greece 35/36 France
The lower the number, the more the country can be classified as one that favors masculine traits;
a higher score denotes a country that prefers feminine traits. Source: Adapted from G. Hofstede,
Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and Organizations Across Nations,
2nd ed. (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2001).Hofstede’s Value Dimensions 229Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).