Recent cohorts lead rejection of sex typing

In samples of the Detroit metropolitan population, four items indicating rejection of sex typing of children's household chores were negatively related to birth year of respondent in 1953, but positively related in 1971 and 1976: Older women were more likely to reject sex typing in 1953, but less likely to do so than younger women in 1971 and 1976. The regression was stronger for three items in 1976 than in 1971, while there was no change for the fourth. But associations between pairs of items in 1971 and 1976 were negatively related or unrelated to birth year. The explanation of these changes as an immediate and direct result of the women's movement is, therefore, discounted. The pattern of changes is congruent with assumptions in a model suggested by Carlsson and Karlsson (1979), which predicts oscillations in aggregate behavior with a period about a generation in length.This research was supported by NSF Grant SOC77-27365. Charles Brody Assisted with computations. Beverly Duncan made valuable suggestions. Howard Schuman generously provided early access to the 1976 data, collected for use in his own research.