Social conservatism is apolitical philosophy and a variety ofconservatism which places emphasis ontraditional social structures oversocial pluralism.[1][2] Social conservativesorganize in favor ofduty,traditional values andsocial institutions, such as traditionalfamily structures,gender roles,sexual relations,national patriotism, andreligious traditions.[3][4] Social conservatism is usually skeptical of social change, instead tending to support thestatus quo concerning social issues.[4]
Social conservatives also value the rights of religious institutions to participate in the public sphere, thus often supportinggovernment-religious endorsement and opposingstate atheism, and in some cases opposingsecularism.[5][6][7]
Social conservatism, as a movement, is largely an outgrowth oftraditionalist conservatism. The key difference is that traditional conservatism is broader and includes philosophical considerations, whereas social conservatism is largely focused on justmoralism.
There is overlap between social conservatism andpaleoconservatism, in that they both support and value traditional social forms.[8]
Social conservatism is not to be confused witheconomically interventionist conservatism, where conservative ideas are combined withKeynesian economics and awelfare state as practised by some European conservatives (e.g.one-nation conservatives in theUnited Kingdom,Gaullists inFrance). Some social conservatives supportfree trade andlaissez faire market approaches to economic and fiscal issues, but social conservatives may also support economic intervention where the intervention serves moral or cultural aims. HistorianJon Wiener has described social conservatism as historically the result of an appeal from "elitist preservationists" to lower-class workers to 'protect' wealth from immigration.[1][9]
Many social conservatives support a balance betweenprotectionism and afree market. This concern for material welfare, like advocacy of traditionalmores, will often have a basis in religion. Examples include theChristian Social Union of Bavaria, theFamily First Party andKatter's Australian Party, and thecommunitarian movement in the United States.[10]
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Mainstream conservatism in Australia generally incorporatesliberalism, henceliberal conservatism being the primary ideology of the major centre-right coalition in Australia, theLiberal-NationalCoalition. Therefore, the Coalition, while having members with some socially conservative views, is not considered socially conservative. However, both social conservatism andright-wing populism are present amongright-wing minor parties, such asPauline Hanson's One Nation, theUnited Australia Party (UAP) andKatter's Australian Party (KAP) amongst others.
Nevertheless, theNational Right (also known as the "Conservative" faction or the "Right" faction) serves as the party's social conservative faction, although the party is still considered abroad church conservative party and factions do collaborate with each other; for example, theNew South Wales Liberal Party often chooses a leadership team consisting of both a member of the more centristModerate faction and a member of the Right.
Social conservatives in Australia often need to take a broad church stance while governing. For example, formerNew South Wales Liberal Party leader and state premier,Dominic Perrottet, a conservativeCatholic, despite having voted against legalisingsame-sex marriage in 2018 and opposingabortion, followed Labor leaderChris Minns' in supporting a 2023 state-wide ban on gayconversion therapy,[11] whilst also vowing to protectreligious freedom andpreaching.[12]
During theAustralian Marriage Law Postal Survey of 2018, which successfully sought to legalise same-sex marriage in Australia, the Coalition government led byPrime MinisterMalcolm Turnbull allowed its members aconscience vote on the issue. While many (including Turnbull) were in favour, some were opposed, but supported holding aplebiscite on the matter. Federal Coalition MPs who opposed same-sex marriage during the debate included former Prime MinisterTony Abbott,Peter Dutton,Scott Morrison and many others. However, when the plebiscite was successful (with 61.6% in favour), a vote needed to be held in both chambers ofParliament. TheMarriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017 was tabled in theSenate and was subsequently passed in theHouse of Representatives, with just three votes against (excluding the members who abstained). Due to their respective electorates delivering a majority "yes" vote (as well as the entire country), members such as Dutton (who voted "no" in the plebiscite) voted in favour of the bill after his seat ofDickson voted 65.16% in favour.
In Canada, social conservatism, though widespread, is not as prominent in the public sphere asin the United States. It is prevalent in all areas of the country but is seen as being more prominent inrural areas. It is also a significant influence on the ideological and political culture of the western provinces ofManitoba,Saskatchewan,Alberta, andBritish Columbia.[citation needed]
Compared tosocial conservatism in the United States, social conservatism has not been as influential in Canada. The main reason is that theneoconservative style of politics as promoted by leaders such as former Prime Ministers such asPaul Martin andStephen Harper have focused onfiscal conservatism, with little or no emphasis on moral or social conservatism.[13] Without a specific, large political party behind them, social conservatives have divided their votes and can be found in all political parties.[14]
Social conservatives often felt that they were being sidelined by officials in theProgressive Conservative Party of Canada and its leadership of so-called "Red Tories" for the last half of the twentieth century and therefore many eventually made their political home with parties such as theSocial Credit Party of Canada and theReform Party of Canada. Despite the Reform Party being dominated by social conservatives, leaderPreston Manning, seeking greater national support for the party, was reluctant for the party to wholly embrace socially conservative values. This led to his deposition as leader of the party (now calledCanadian Alliance) in favor of social conservativeStockwell Day.[15] The party's successor, theConservative Party of Canada, despite having a number of socially conservative members and cabinet ministers, has chosen so far not to focus on socially conservative issues in its platform. This was most recently exemplified on two occasions in 2012 when the currentConservative Party of Canada declared they had no intention to repealsame-sex marriage orabortion laws.[16]
Chiang Kai-shek, a formerpresident ofRepublic of China, could be seen as a social conservative who was critical ofliberal values and defended the union ofConfucian traditions andmodernism. Under his rule, theKuomintang led theNew Life Movement.
After theChinese Communist Revolution, social conservatism in China increased due to the rise ofNew Confucianism and others after the 1970s to 1980s during theChinese economic reform.
Bloomberg News described the period of China, whereXi Jinping is president, as "Conservative Era"; Faced with a shrinking population, China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong has urged women to cultivate a “culture” of childbirth and take on a more domestic role.[17]CCP general secretary Xi has adopted a more conservative social view since he began histhird leadership in 2022. He reflects traditional and patriarchal views of women in speeches and policies. This is related to China's low birth rate problem.[18]
Most Muslim countries are somewhat more socially conservative (such asTajikistan andMalaysia) than neighbouring countries that are not Muslim. However, due to their interpretation of Islamic law also known as Shariah, they have some differences from social conservatism as understood in the nations of West Europe, North America and Oceania.[citation needed]
The Arab world has recently[when?] been more conservative in social and moral issues due to theArab spring.[citation needed]
Hindu social conservatism in India in the twenty first century has developed into an influential movement, represented in the political arena by theright-wingBharatiya Janata Party. Hindu social conservatism, also known as theHindutva movement, is spearheaded by the voluntary non-governmental organizationRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The core philosophy of this ideology isnativism, and it seesHinduism as a national identity, rather than a religious one. Due to an inclination towardsnativism, much of its platform is based on the belief that Islamic and Christian denominations in India are the result of occupations, and, therefore, these groups should be uprooted from theIndian subcontinent by converting their members back toHinduism.
In terms of political positions, Hindu social conservatives in India seek to institutionalize aUniform Civil Code (which is also a directive under Article 44 of theConstitution of India) for members of all religions,[19] over the current scheme of different personal laws for different religions. For instance,polygamy is legal for Muslims in India, but not Hindus.
There are several socially conservative Muslim organisations in India, ranging from groups such as theIndian Union Muslim League which aim to promote the preservation of Indian Muslim culture as a part of the nation's identity and history.[citation needed]
Social conservatism had an important place inApartheid South Africa ruled by theNational Party. Pornography,[20] gambling[21] and other activities that were deemed undesirable were severely restricted. The majority of businesses were forbidden from doingbusiness on Sunday.[22]
Social conservatism in theUnited States is aright-wing political ideology that opposessocial progressivism. It is centered on the preservation of what adherents often call 'traditional' or 'family values', though the accepted aims of the movement often vary amongst the organisations it comprises, making it hard to generalise about ideological preferences. There are, however, a number of general principles to which at least a majority of social conservatives adhere, such asopposition to abortion and opposition tosame-sex marriage.[1][23][24][25] SociologistHarry F. Dahms suggests that Christian doctrinal conservatives (anti-abortion, anti-same-sex marriage) and gun-use conservatives (such as supporters and members of theNational Rifle Association of America (NRA)) form two domains of ideology within American social conservatism.[26]
TheRepublican Party is the largest United States political party with socially conservative ideals incorporated into its platform. Other socially conservative parties include theAmerican Solidarity Party, theConstitution Party and theProhibition Party.
Social conservatives are strongest in the South, where they are a mainstream political force with aspirations to translate those ideals using the party platform nationally. Supporters of social conservatism played a major role in the political coalitions ofRonald Reagan andGeorge W. Bush.[27]
There are also social conservative movements in many other parts of the world, such asLatin America,Eastern Europe, theBalkans, theCaucasus,Central Europe,Mediterranean countries,Southeast Asia, andOceania.
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Social conservatism often opposes state-atheism, however not necessarily atheism itself. They believe that if we allow states to stop believing in God, that societal order will simply break down as a result.
... Because of this political strength, the Liberal Democratic Party has in recent years included the moderate to socially conservative Komeito Party in coalition governments.
Media related toSocial conservatism at Wikimedia Commons
