The twentieth century gave rise to profound changes in traditional sex roles. This study reveals how modernization has changed cultural attitudes towards gender equality and analyzes the political consequences. It systematically compares attitudes towards gender equality worldwide, comparing almost 70 nations, ranging from rich to poor, agrarian to postindustrial. This volume is essential reading to gain a better understanding of issues in comparative politics, public opinion, political behavior, development and sociology.

"...an invaluable and comprehensive resource with which to assess the causes and significance of gender-related attitudinal change from a comparative perspective." Political Science Quarterly"This is the book that I have been waiting for in comparative gender politics. It advances new theory, tests that theory with the best available data, and raises enough additional questions to inspire a generation of graduate students." Professor W. Clyde Wilcox, Georgetown University"This book, by two skilled and prolific political scientists, will be widely read by scholars and students interested in gender politics, political culture, political change and modernization, and comparative public opinion and political participation." Virginia Sapiro, University of Wisconsin, Madison"Rising Tide brings an impressive wealth of evidence to bear on a broad range of timely political debates involving gender equality. It traces the uneven advance of gender equality across states and then offers compelling arguments about both the causes and the consequences of this advance. In so doing, it enlightens us not only about gender but about religion, modernization, voting, and cultural change. Rising Tide is a rare combination of depth and breadth, put together with clarity and skill." Nancy Bermeo, Princeton University"Inglehart and Norris provide an excellent example of a tightly focused, carefully developed, theoretically and empirically rich examination of what might arguably be called the most significant change in human development... Highly recommended." Choice

The twentieth century gave rise to profound changes in traditional sex roles. Rising Tide sets out to understand how modernization has changed cultural attitudes towards gender equality and to analyze the political consequences of this process. This book is the first to systematically compare attitudes towards gender equality worldwide, comparing almost 70 nations that run the gamut from rich to poor, agrarian to post industrial. Rising Tide is essential reading for those interested in understanding issues of comparative politics, public opinion, political behavior, political development, and political sociology.

'Rising Tide sets out to understand how modernization has changed cultural attitudes towards gender equality and to analyze the political consequences of this process. This book is essential reading for those interested in understanding issues of comparative politics, public opinion, political behavior, and political sociology.\n

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Includes bibliographical references (p. 203-217) and index.

Analyzes the political consequences of how modernization has changed cultural attitudes towards gender equality.

Part I. The Causes of the Rising Tide: 1. Introduction: Explaining the rising tide of gender equality; 2. From traditional roles towards gender equality; 3. Religion, secularization, and gender equality; Part II. The Consequences of the Rising Tide: 4. The gender gap in voting and public opinion; 5. Political activism; 6. Women as political leaders; 7. Conclusions: gender equality and cultural change.