The Effect of Personal Religiosity on Attitudes toward Abortion, Divorce, and Gender Equality —Does Cultural Context Make a Difference? *

Abstract

Across the globe, people differ considerably in their attitudes about abortion, divorce, and gender equality. These differences are reflected in the diversity of laws regulating divorce, penalties for women obtaining abortions, and differences in women’s levels of political representation. While personal religious beliefs are often seen as having a significant role in shaping attitudes, economic development and political stability are also seen to be important predictors of attitudes about sexual morality and gender equality. This study draws on ideas from cultural sociology and the sociology of religion to address the interrelationship between personal religiosity and national cultural orientations to explain cross-national variation in public opinions about abortion, divorce, and gender equality. Using data from the fourth wave of the World Values Survey and hierarchical linear modeling techniques, support is found for a broad cultural axis of survival vs. self-expressive orientations, and personal religious involvement for shaping attitudes about abortion and divorce. Moreover, personal religious involvement appears to have a greater effect on attitudes about abortion, divorce, and gender equality in countries like the United States, which have a strong self-expressive cultural orientation, than in many Sub-Saharan African nations.