Social conservatism is the politically-conservative belief that society is built upon a fragile network of relationships which need to be upheld through duty, traditional values and established institutions, including moral and religious issues. Social conservatism is sceptical of social change and supports the status quo concerning social issues such as family life, sexual relations, and patriotism. In some situations, social conservatives hold reactionary views on social issues; for example, when the Democratic Party legalized same-sex marriage in the United States in 2013, many members of the social conservative Republican Party sought to overturn the decision and seek a return to the previous state of affairs.
Social conservatism became popular as a reaction to the rise of dangerous radical tendencies within liberal movements and the decline of "traditional values" such as a religion, family values, racial inequality, and social hierarchy. In the United States, the social conservative movement gained support during the 1970s in reaction to the legalization of abortion and the rise of the gay rights movement. During the 21st century, the Arab World was socially and morally conservative, and social conservatism became the most powerful movement in the American South during the eras of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.