Gender Attitudes in Africa: Liberal Egalitarianism in 34 Countries

• In Event: 3553 - Gender Inequality: Gender Ideology and Expectations

Abstract

It is well established that liberal gender-egalitarian ideals are more prevalent in affluent, “postmaterialist” societies and that gender, education, and religiosity predict gender attitudes within affluent societies. This paper explores support for equal gender rights in 34 African societies that have not yet reached a postmaterialist threshold. To what extent do ordinary African citizens express support for the liberal ideals of gender equality that are embraced by the United Nations and other world society institutions? And what accounts for variability within and across African societies? Results show strong support for equal gender rights among African citizens, as well as marked differences across countries. Patterns of cross-national variability provide little support for linear modernization accounts, and they are unrelated to world-polity linkages, feminist mobilization, and women’s public-sphere incorporation. Internet and mobile phone use and Christian religious culture are associated with more liberal gender attitudes, however. The effects of digital connectivity suggest that modes of ideological diffusion may be expanding beyond those considered by world-society scholars so far.

Author

• Maria Charles, University of California-Santa Barbara