SOCIAL POSITION AND COMMITMENT TO CORE VALUES - GRAPPLING WITH THE (NON)IMPACT OF GENDER

The present analysis addresses whether gender influences support for d ie core values of individualism, self-reliance and equal opportunity. Both a capitalist economic system and democratic political system emph asize the value of the individual, self-reliance and equal opportunity . It is argued that socialization within these systems promotes indivi dualistic beliefs even among those who are discriminated against. The impact of gender on commitment to core values and the influence of the se values among women and men on support for government helping women is explored. The results suggest that men and women equally support in dividualistic values and that these values are similarly influential o n questions of government intervention on women's behalf. Exceptions a re found among younger men, who more likely support intervention than older men, and that among women, positive regard for women achieves a significant impact on policy support whereas the same does not hold tr ue among men. It is argued that individualistic commitments among wome n and men provide the impetus to evaluate policy decisions in terms of the nature of government intervention even though women comprise the targeted beneficiaries of these policies.