Gender Differences in Decision-Making During Adolescence: A Comparison of Jewish and Druze Societies

Abstract

The principal aim of the study was to compare gender differences in the level of autonomy, parental and peer involvement in the decision-making processes of Jewish and Druze adolescents. The method that was chosen to conduct the study was the qualitative research method and to measure the variables in the current study, a questionnaire containing 30 items was developed. The research population includes 243 participants aged 15–18. The findings partially confirmed the research hypotheses. The study showed four main findings. First, the study showed that no gender differences are apparent between Jewish and Druze adolescents in the overall degree of autonomy or in parents’ and peers’ involvement in their decision making. Second, the study revealed that in both groups of adolescents, boys have more autonomy in making decisions relative to girls. The third finding showed that among both male adolescent groups, friends are more involved in their decisions relative to among both female grops. The final finding showed that there is bigger gap in the Druze culture between boys and girls regarding the degree of parental involvement than in the Jewish culture.