Predictors of gender traditionalism among women.

Why do some American women hold gender traditionalist attitudes? While socialization to traditional religions, cultural norms, and political ideologies, along with a lack of exposure to feminist ideas explain why some women advocate for distinct gender roles, this paper also ponders the reasons women might rationally choose to embrace traditional gender roles. Analyses were performed on a women-only sample using the 2017 Baylor Religion Survey (BRS). Results indicate that while a lack of education, affiliation with the Republican Party, and frequency of church attendance are crucial predictors of gender traditionalism among women, individual beliefs about one’s moral worth and moral authority play a decisive role. Specifically, women who lack personal dignity and believe in a judgmental God are more likely to be gender traditionalists. This suggests that gender traditionalism may be a rational response for modern women who feel a lack of a moral worth within an unsupportive cosmos.