Putting assumptions to the test: a meta-analytic review of gender differences in emotional intelligence and specific emotion abilities

Abstract: Are women more emotionally intelligent than men? Emotional intelligence (EI) is often colloquially ascribed to women, yet the extant empirical literature yields inconclusive results and EI theories are largely oblivious to gender as an explanatory dimension. To re-evaluate the literature, test key moderators, and develop stronger theory on EI, we examine whether and to what extent gender differences manifest in EI through a metanalytic review of 1,279 articles comprised of 1,428 samples containing 609,278 participants drawn from published and unpublished work until December 31, 2023. The results suggest gender differences in general EI such that women appear to have higher EI on average, as well as more nuanced gender differences across specific emotional abilities, including some where there may be no difference. Women’s advantage is stronger for other- than self-focused emotional abilities and varies by measurement type, with smaller differences in subjective than in performance-based assessments. Additionally, we find that contextual moderators, including leadership position, male-dominated industry, data collection year, participant age, and geographical region are associated with the presence, magnitude, and direction of gender differences, suggesting that gender differences in EI vary across contexts. Overall, these findings show that women hold advantages in many emotional abilities, but that gender differences in EI are contingent on the target of emotional abilities, measurement type, and context, informing future research and theory building.