Economic, social and ethnic values of male and female students in political science communities of Ukraine and Moldova

Abstract

The article is devoted to revealing economic, social and ethnic values of male and female students in political science communities in Ukraine (Lviv, Kharkiv, Simferopol) and Moldova (Chisinau) during 2012-2013. This work is a part of a larger study which captures the state of Ukrainian political science during 2012–2013 and provides a better understanding of the political, social, ethnic, economic, gender and disciplinary views of students on the eve of the Revolution of Dignity. The empirical basis of this article is a survey of the students enrolled in three types of academic programs (bachelor’s, specialist’s and master’s degrees) at four universities: Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, V. I. Vernadsky Taurida National University and Moldova State University.
The economic values of Ukrainian and Moldovan students assume an active role of the state, but the importance of the latter decreases with the growth of the total income of their family of origin. The “nationalism” of Ukrainian and Moldovan students concerning social values means the inadmissibility of a homosexual lifestyle, while liberals are more tolerant on this issue. Besides Ukrainian nationalists are generally tolerant of women’s right to decide on abortion, although liberals are still more tolerant. In this respect, Moldovan liberals are more conservative. Ukrainian and Moldovan “nationalism” is more tolerant than Ukrainian and Moldovan “liberalism” towards a couple, living together without wishing to get married. The ethnic values of Ukrainian and Moldovan students are more strongly influenced by ideological orientations. On the one hand, “nationalists” tend to deny the problem of racism in society, while liberals are more willing to acknowledge it. On the other hand, liberals are less inclined to believe that there should be only one state language in a country, while “nationalists” are almost absolutely sure of it. The final part of the article concludes that it is necessary to study the economic, cultural, regional and religious factors determining these values of male and female students.