Islam and Patriarchy: How Robust is Muslim Support for Patriarchal Values?

World Values Research, WVR Volume 4, Number 2, 2011

31 Pages Posted: 5 Feb 2014

See all articles by Amy C. Alexander

Amy C. Alexander

University of California, Irvine; Center for the Study of Democracy

Christian Welzel

Leuphana University of Lueneburg; LCSR

Date Written: April 13, 2011

Abstract

Evidence that Muslims support patriarchal values more than Non-Muslims is abundant but the nature of this evidence is contested. The 'cultural' interpretation suggests that patriarchal values are an inherent element of Muslim identity. The 'structural' interpretation holds that patriarchal values reside in structural characteristics and have little to do with Muslim identity. Evidence on these contradictory claims is inconclusive. Neither have advocates of the cultural position shown that Muslim support for patriarchal values remains robust under control of structural characteristics; nor have proponents of the structural position demonstrated that Muslim support for these values vanishes under such controls. Filling this gap, we use multi-level models to test whether Muslim support for patriarchal values vanishes under control of patriarchy’s structural underpinnings. We find that Muslim support for patriarchal values is robust against various controls. And, we identify mosque attendance as a mechanism to sustain Muslim support for patriarchy in Non-Muslim societies. Yet, rising levels of education, labor market participation, and a glacial emancipative trend diminish Muslim support for patriarchy, especially among women.

Keywords: Gender Equality, Islam, Oil Economies, Patriarchy

Suggested Citation

Alexander, Amy C. and Alexander, Amy C. and Welzel, Christian, Islam and Patriarchy: How Robust is Muslim Support for Patriarchal Values? (April 13, 2011). World Values Research, WVR Volume 4, Number 2, 2011, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2390634 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2390634

Amy C. Alexander

Center for the Study of Democracy ( email )

Scharnhorststrasse 1
Lüneburg, 21314
Germany

University of California, Irvine ( email )

Campus Drive
Irvine, CA California 62697-3125
United States

Christian Welzel (Contact Author)

Leuphana University of Lueneburg ( email )

Scharnhorststraße 1
Lüneburg, 21335
Germany

LCSR ( email )

Myasnitskaya street, 20
Moscow, Moscow 119017
Russia

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