Study On Ronald Inglehart’s Theory Of Gender Equality

The thesis is designed to further study Ronald Inglehart’s theory of gender equality on the basis of western gender equality theories. A particular analysis of the blocking and stimulating factors for gender equality and the attitudinal support for gender equality will firm the discussion on gender equality and other variable demonstrations theoretically. The issue of women’ participation in politics is the reflection of gender equality in democratic system. Demonstrating Ronald Inglehart’s perspectives on women’s political participation, this article aims to highlight the realistic performance of gender equality and democracy.Inglehart’s theory of gender equality runs through the whole social changes, which contains the correlations between gender equality and the factors of economic development, cultural change and democracy. The percentage of women in parliament has become a crucial variable, and by adopting regression analysis, Ronald Inglehart has proved the special meaning that the economy and culture variable impact on the percentage of women’s participation in parliament and the society’s level of democracy. Regardless of the close relation democracy has with gender equality, it is not the immediate course for the emergence of gender equality. Besides, the traditional cultural heritage, the economic level and social changes are significant affecting factors for gender equality and democratic status. However, a cultural shift from survival toward self-expression values is the most influencing of all the affecting factors.The multivariate analyses indicate that this cultural shift is the main direct cause of both rising proportions of women in parliament, and of higher levels of democracy. Meanwhile, a society’s traditional cultural heritage and its level of economic development also define its self-expression values, through which gender equality and democratic level are affected. The emphasizing of gender equality is a component of self-express values, and the changing values and changing gender roles are closely related.Empirical evidences from80societies point to the conclusion that the process of modernization drives cultural change that encourages both the rise of women in public life and the development of democratic institutions. Support for gender equality is not just a consequence of democratization. It is part of a broad cultural change that is transforming industrialized societies and bringing growing mass demands for increasingly democratic institutions.