Working wives and women's rights: The connection between the employment status of wives and the feminist attitudes of husbands

Women in the labor force tend to have more profeminist attitudes on women's rights and sex roles than women working in the home. In turn, the husbands of wives employed outside the home are more supportive of feminist positions than the husbands of wives working in the home. The difference is greater on attitudes relating to employment and traditional roles in the home and family but also occurs on some items dealing with political rights and general sexual equality. The causal connection between the attitude of husbands and the labor-force status of their wives can not be demonstrated, but causation is believed to work in both directions.This research was done for the General Social Survey project directed by James A. Davis and Tom W. Smith (GSS Technical Report No. 41). The project is funded by National Science Foundation Grant SES-8118731.