Cultural Values: Definition, Examples & Importance

Cultural values vary between communities of people. Learn the definition and examples of cultural values, as well as its importance and ability to change

What Are Cultural Values?

A hungry Hindu man will let himself starve rather than slaughter and eat a cow, despite the fact that there are old cows roaming all over his village, blocking the streets for cars to pass. To the average adult American man, who eats over 50 pounds of beef each year, this seems illogical. If you have been hungry for months, then you should eat the cow! There are old cows roaming all over India, no one else owns the cows, and you know how to slaughter a cow! What's stopping the Hindu man from killing the cow? 

The answer to that question is more understandable, if you understand his cultural values. The Hindus, who make up over 80% of India's population, believe that cows are sacred and should not be slaughtered. From the outside, a group's cultural values are often difficult to understand. For members inside the group, cultural values are the core principles and ideals upon which the entire community exists.

Gender Socialization

Gender is a social construct and it exists on a continuum. Individuals develop their own gender identity, influenced in part by the process of gender socialization. Gender socialization is the process by which we learn our culture's gender-related rules, norms, and expectations. The most common agents of gender socialization—in other words, the people who influence the process—are parents, teachers, schools, and the media. Through gender socialization, children begin to develop their own beliefs about gender and ultimately form their own gender identity.

Culture Differences in between Finland and Brazil

The Brazil and Finland video (54 minutes)

Instructions: 

Watch this video about Brazil and Finland (54 mins) by Brian Joyce and Alexandre D’Andrea talking about culture differences between Finland and Brazil 

Extra study materials:

This is an interesting chart:

https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/photos/EV000190.JPG