In Russia, as one example, a higher percentage of engineers and doctors are women. So, yes, I am sure there are differences among societies. Going back to the issue how various professions are responding, academics have not been much involved. In fact their absence is notable. Perhaps they are over-specialized.
Some people focus on details and miss the big picture.
The number of people who think this way seems to be a minority of the population. I and others have found it useful to classify people on where they stand on the scale. Most people are around 1,2, or 3 meaning they think there will be little disruption. Some people are more concerned, around 6,7, or 8. People who are less concerned think that those who are more concerned are alarmists.