The Impact of Secularity on Attitudes of Gender Equality: A Multi-Level Analysis of 49 Nations

This research uses a series of hierarchical linear regression models fitted to data from the 2014 World Values Survey (WVS) and national statistics for 49 countries to specify the relationship between variables at the macro, meso, and micro level with attitudes of gender equality. In addition to the development of an updated and more robust Gender Equality Scale, the findings show that economic development increases support for gender equality, in line with Inglehart's postmaterialist hypothesis. A history of communist rule and income inequality also increase attitudes of gender equality. Secularity has the greatest explanatory power in the equation; the results show that being educated, female, and less religious significantly increases one's likelihood to support gender equality.