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Rising support for reproductive freedoms: emancipatory breakthroughs into a bulwark of tradition

Author

Listed:
  • Amy C. Alexander

    (Georg-August University)

  • Christian Welzel

    (Center for the Study of Democracy, Leuphana University, Scharnhorststr.)

  • Ronald Inglehart

    (Higher School of Economics)

Abstract

This article presents evidence for a rising emancipatory spirit, across generations and around the world, in a life domain in which traditional family, fertility and sex (FFS) norms have been most resistant to emancipatory gains since the ages: reproductive freedoms. We propose an explanation of rising emancipative values that integrates several theoretical approaches into a single idea—the utility ladder of freedoms. Specifically, we suggest that objectively improving living conditions--from rising life expectancies to broadening education to better technologies—transform the nature of life from a source of threats to suffer into a source of opportunities to thrive. As living conditions begin to hold more promise for increasing population segments, societies climb the utility ladder of freedoms: supporting universal freedoms becomes increasingly instrumental to use the opportunities that a more promising life offers. This trend has begun to spill over into a life domain in which traditional FFS norms have until recently been able to block emancipatory gains: reproductive freedoms. We present (1) cross-national, (2) longitudinal, (3) generational and (4) multi-level evidence on an unprecedentedly broad basis in support of this theory.

Suggested Citation

  • Amy C. Alexander & Christian Welzel & Ronald Inglehart, 2013. "Rising support for reproductive freedoms: emancipatory breakthroughs into a bulwark of tradition," HSE Working papers WP BRP 30/SOC/2013, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:hig:wpaper:30/soc/2013
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    emancipative values - existential opportunities - reproductive freedoms - secular values - sex norms - utility ladder of freedoms;

    JEL classification:

    • E11 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Marxian; Sraffian; Kaleckian

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