Emancipating Sexuality: Breakthroughs into a Bulwark of Tradition

Social Indicators Research. 2016. Vol. 129. No. 2. P. 909–935.

Welzel C., Inglehart R. F., Alexander A.

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.

Keywords: economic development, cultural change, life quality, religion, emancipation, emancipative values, freedom ladder, Sexual liberation, Existential opportunities, Fertility norms, Moral evolution, Secular values

Publication based on the results of: Культурные изменения в обществах в сравнительной перспективе (2015)