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

The twentieth century gave rise to profound changes in traditional sex roles. However, the force of this 'rising tide' has varied among rich and poor societies around the globe, as well as among younger and older generations. Rising Tide sets out to understand how modernization has changed cultural attitudes towards gender equality and to analyze the political consequences of this process. The core argument suggests that women and men's lives have been altered in a two-stage modernization process consisting of (i) the shift from agrarian to industrialized societies and (ii) the move from industrial towards post industrial societies. 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 postindustrial. Rising Tide is essential reading for those interested in understanding issues of comparative politics, public opinion, political behavior, political development, and political sociology.

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.