The Argument About Women Working Is Over

Forty years ago, one-third of all workers were women; now nearly half are. Rather than increasing conflict or competition between the sexes, more than three-quarters of Americans (76% of men, 80% of women) view this as positive for society; only 19% say it's negative. And that view holds regardless of age, race or political ideology: 81% of African Americans view it as a positive change, along with 84% of Latinos, 88% of Democrats and 68% of Republicans.

The Abt SRBI poll of 3,413 adults (1,599 men and 1,814 women) was conducted by telephone between Aug. 31 - Sept. 15

Men and Women Have Similar Life Goals

Men and women largely agree on the importance of most life goals. Ninety-two percent of men and 96% of women say being healthy is very important to them; being financially secure is very important to 74% of men and 81% of women; having a fulfilling job, 73% men, 72% women. Having children is a top goal of 60% of men and 66% of women. The biggest difference in life goals? Fifty-eight percent of men describe religious faith as very important vs. 68% of women.

Marriage Is More Important to Men Than to Women

Being married is very important to 58% of men vs. 53% of women. Only 38% of men strongly agree that a woman can have a fulfilling life without marriage, compared with 54% of women. Both white women and highly educated women (61%) strongly agree vs. 37% of Latino women. Of both black and Latino men, only 35% strongly agree.
Finally, two-thirds of both men and women describe their marriage or partnership as very happy.

 

Growing Female Economic Power Is Widely Accepted

Eighty-nine percent of both men and women are comfortable with the notion of a family in which a woman earns more than a man. Seventy-four percent of men and 71% of women reject the notion that women need to behave more like men to be taken seriously in the workplace. Seventy-one percent of men say they are more comfortable than their fathers with women working outside the home. Seventy percent of women say they are less financially dependent on their spouse than their mothers were.
However, 69% of women think men resent women who have more power than they do; only 49% of men agree. Sixty percent of men say there are no longer any barriers to women's advancement in the workplace; only 50% of women agree. Finally, only 29% of men say that female bosses are harder to work for than male bosses, compared with 45% of women.

 Who Has Benefited Most?

Twenty-three percent of women strongly agree that all things considered, men still have it better in life than women do; 12% of men strongly agree. There is a generational split: a majority of people over age 45 think men still have it better vs. 42% of younger people. On the question of whether men have lost the battle of the sexes, a majority of both men and women disagree (62% of men, 58% of women). More than a third of men over age 65 say that with the rise of women in society and the workplace, men no longer know their role vs. 25% of men ages 18 to 29.

Working Mothers Are Broadly Accepted...

Seventy-four percent of men and 84% of women say women with children are just as committed to their jobs as women without children. Seventy-two percent of black women strongly agree vs. 57% of Latino women and 55% of white women.
Fifty-six percent of men and 63% of women strongly disagree with the idea that mothers cannot be as productive at work as fathers. This isn't to say there are no trade-offs: 25% of men and 26% of women say that women who work outside the home have less time and attention for their marriage or relationship. And men and women differ over the cost: 26% of men strongly agree that it is harder for a mother who works outside the home to establish a warm and secure relationship with her children than it is for a mother who does not work outside the home; 19% of women strongly agree.

 

...And Yet, People Hold On to Traditional Visions for Family Life

In the 1970s, a majority of children grew up with a stay-at-home parent; now that figure is less than a third. A large majority — 70% of men, 61% of women — believe this has had a negative effect on society. Fifty-seven percent of men and 51% of women agree that it is better for a family if the father works outside the home and the mother takes care of the children. Asked to rank what they value most for their own daughters, 63% of men and 56% of women put a happy marriage with children first; 17% of men and 23% of women said an interesting career; and 15% of men and 20% of women said financial success.

Daily Life Is a Story of Diplomacy Under Stress

Eighty-five percent of women and 83% of men say they negotiate the rules of relationships and family life more than previous generations. Asked how often they and their spouse or partner coordinate schedules, duties and responsibilities, 44% of men and 35% of women said every day, while more than a quarter of both men and women said two or three times a week. Younger people report more frequent stress in their daily life than older people (43% for 18-to-29-year-olds vs. 21% for those over age 65). Forty-six percent of working women report frequent stress, compared with 31% of non-working women.

Men and Women Often Disagree on Who Is Doing What

Fifty-five percent of women strongly agree that in households where both partners have jobs, women take on more responsibilities for the home and family than their male partners do; only 28% of men strongly agree. (Fifty-four percent of Latinos strongly agree, along with 52% of blacks and 38% of whites.) Sixty-nine percent of women say they are primarily responsible for taking care of their children; only 13% of men say this of themselves. Forty-three percent of men say their spouse is primarily responsible, while 40% of men say the responsibility is evenly shared.

Both Men and Women Want More Help

Eighty-four percent of Americans agree (53% strongly) that businesses haven't done enough to address the needs of modern families. Asked what would have to change to make it easier to balance work and marriage and children, 54% of women and 49% of men said more-flexible work hours or schedules; 15% of women and 17% of men said more paid time off; and 13% of women and 12% of men said better or more day-care options.

Marcia Hueber

Then: Her life revolved around family and a rambling Illinois farm. "I still feel the male sex should be dominant," Marcia Hueber told TIME in 1972. "I want my husband to feel he is the head of the household." Five years later, when the youngest of her four kids was in high school, she got a job scheduling appointments for a local veterinarian. She has also taken some community-college classes, but at bottom, she says, "I'm a farmer's wife."

Now: 'People who knew me couldn't believe I left the farm and got a job. One said to one of [my] sons, Is it really true that your mom has gone to work? His answer was, Yes! We are short on clean underwear and fresh cookies.'