The pregnant woman's place and where to find it

A two-part study examined attitudes toward pregnancy. The first part — a department store survey — looked at the location of maternity clothes in different status stores. Clothes were located differently, depending on the social class of the store. High status stores located them in or near lingerie and/or loungewear. Lower status stores located them in or near uniforms and/or half sizes. It is suggested that these differences reflect differential attitudes toward pregnancy in the different social classes. The second part of the study examined pregnant women's attitudes toward themselves. In line with the department store findings, there were differences between upper-class women and working-class women in self-report data. These data suggest that pregnancy is viewed differently, depending on social class.