TY - JOUR

T1 - Emancipating Sexuality

T2 - Breakthroughs into a Bulwark of Tradition

AU - Welzel, Christian Peter

AU - Alexander, Amy

AU - Inglehart, Ronald

PY - 2016/11/1

Y1 - 2016/11/1

N2 - This article presents evidence for a rising emancipatory spirit, across generations and around the world, in a life domain in which religion hitherto blocked emancipatory gains: sexual freedoms. We propose an explanation of rising emancipative values that integrates several approaches into a single idea-the utility ladder of freedoms. Specifically, we suggest that objectively improving living conditions-from rising life expectancies to broader education-transform the nature of life from a source of threats into a source of opportunities. As life begins to hold more promise for increasing population segments, societies climb the utility ladder of freedoms: practicing and respecting universal freedoms becomes increasingly vital to take advantage of rising life opportunities. This trend has begun to spill over into a life domain in which religious norms have until recently been able to resist emancipatory gains: sexual freedoms. We present (1) crossnational, (2) longitudinal, (3) generational and (4) multilevel evidence on an unprecedentedly broad basis in support of this theory.

AB - This article presents evidence for a rising emancipatory spirit, across generations and around the world, in a life domain in which religion hitherto blocked emancipatory gains: sexual freedoms. We propose an explanation of rising emancipative values that integrates several approaches into a single idea-the utility ladder of freedoms. Specifically, we suggest that objectively improving living conditions-from rising life expectancies to broader education-transform the nature of life from a source of threats into a source of opportunities. As life begins to hold more promise for increasing population segments, societies climb the utility ladder of freedoms: practicing and respecting universal freedoms becomes increasingly vital to take advantage of rising life opportunities. This trend has begun to spill over into a life domain in which religious norms have until recently been able to resist emancipatory gains: sexual freedoms. We present (1) crossnational, (2) longitudinal, (3) generational and (4) multilevel evidence on an unprecedentedly broad basis in support of this theory.

KW - Gender and Diversity

KW - Cultural change

KW - Economic development

KW - Emancipation

KW - Emancipative values

KW - Existential opportunities

KW - Fertility norms

KW - Freedom ladder

KW - Life quality

KW - Moral evolution

KW - Religion

KW - Secular values

KW - Sexual liberation

KW - Social-Dominance Orientation

KW - Liberal political-attitudes

KW - Immigration policy

KW - Gender

KW - Professionals

KW - Explanations

KW - Psychology

KW - Societies

KW - Cultures

KW - Support

KW - Politics

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84945577133&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s11205-015-1137-9

DO - 10.1007/s11205-015-1137-9

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 27829704

VL - 129

SP - 909

EP - 935

JO - Social Indicators Research

JF - Social Indicators Research

SN - 0303-8300

IS - 2

ER -