Social Position and Commitment to Core Values:

Abstract

The present analysis addresses whether gender influences support for the core values of individualism, self-reliance and equal opportunity. Both a capitalist economic system and democratic political system emphasize the value of the individual, self-reliance and equal opportunity. It is argued that socialization within these systems promotes individualistic beliefs even among those who are discriminated against. The impact of gender on commitment to core values and the influence of these values among women and men on support for government helping women is explored. The results suggest that men and women equally support individualistic values and that these values are similarly influential on questions of government intervention on women's behalf. Exceptions are found among younger men, who more likely support intervention than older men, and that among women, positive regard for women achieves a significant impact on policy support whereas the same does not hold true among men. It is argued that individualistic commitments among women and men provide the impetus to evaluate policy decisions in terms of the nature of government intervention even though women comprise the targeted beneficiaries of these policies.