Liberalism and Conservatism in Chile: Attitudes and Opinions of Chilean Women at the Start of the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

Based on a national survey of women and the creation of a ‘conservatism-liberalism index’, this study shows that conservatism in Chile has deep religious roots and continues to be the most significant symbolic reference point in women's lives. The study concludes also that the female population is drawn more towards a ‘liberal’ vision, but liberal attitudes are not able to provide an alternative symbolic reference point to conservatism. This is because liberalism seems to be the result of popular exposure to the requirements of modern life rather than a discourse or ideology. For this reason, the opinions and attitudes of women are highly contradictory and heterogeneous and do not find their form, for the most part, in a clearly liberal discourse or in one which is wholly conservative. We are thus dealing with a kind of ‘liberalism through exposure’, the limits of which are to be found in the conservative ideology which underlies the liberal opinions expressed and is clearly visible in the proportion of the population which is highly educated and deeply religious.

Is BDSM in the eye of the beholder? Variations in Conventional and non-Conventional Sexual Behaviors by Self-Identification vs. BDSM Practice Frequency in the General Population

“…Thus, the overlap may be the product of self-identi ed BDSM individuals declared BDSM behavior frequency, and not the other way around. On the other hand, whereas in the last years Chile has made great strides in terms gender and sexuality matters (Silhi, 2019), Chile is still considered a sexually conservative country (see Graf, 2020;Jacobs, 2004;Palacios & Martínez, 2006). Yet, as predicted by sexual script theory (Wiederman, 2015), women would tend to experience less prejudice when sexually self-identify as anything but cis-gender or heterosexual than men do in a sexually conservative society (e.g., Katz-Wise & Hyde, 2015; Mulick & Wright Jr, 2002).…”

Vínculo social e individualización: reflexiones en torno a las posibilidades del aprender

“…Si bien la familia chilena sigue siendo bastante tradicional , Martínez y Palacios 2005, los roles clásicos de padre proveedor y madre dueña de casa se han visto claramente desestabilizados, no sólo en términos de su cuestionamiento como referentes valóricos, sino que efectivamente ha habido un cambio en el comportamiento de la población, siendo su manifestación más significativa el aumento de la participación laboral femenina 26 , lo que ha redundado, por ejemplo, en un incremento de las familias con doble ingreso en un 40% (Valdés 2007).…”

“Whatever the Party Asks of Me”: Women's Political Representation in Chile's Unión Demócrata Independiente

“…A recent study found that the majority of Chileans believe that “female participation in public life is lower than it should be,” and 66% of those polled believed that women should play a larger role in public life (Palacios and Martínez 2006, 15). Nonetheless, women's participation in Chilean politics has been low.…”