Gender Roles and Personality Predictors of Life Satisfaction During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Cultural Analysis

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that has had significant effects on societies, even though its effects have largely diminished. The psychological state of individuals who cannot leave their homes for long periods during the lockdown practices implemented in many countries is a special situation that needs to be examined. Women and men who stay together at home for long periods may experience conflict with other people. The extent to which this situation is related to the personality traits and gender roles of individuals is a subject of research. For this reason, this study investigates the predictive power of personality traits and gender roles on life satisfaction during the lockdown period due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study group consists of 571 participants (Female: 327, 42.73%; Male: 244, 57.27%) selected from Türkiye and Georgia, aged between 18 and 50 (Meanage: 21.89, df: 4.09). The results show that adopting feminine and masculine gender roles in both cultures contributes to an increase in individuals' life satisfaction levels, while having neurotic personality traits causes individuals' life satisfaction levels to decrease. However, in Georgia, being extraverted, conscientious, emotionally stable, and exhibiting the characteristics of feminine and masculine gender roles were seen as predictors of life satisfaction, while in Türkiye, being emotionally stable and adopting the feminine gender role were determined as variables that increased life satisfaction. The results obtained were discussed in line with the literature.