How employment affects women's gender attitudes: The workplace as a locus of contextual effects

This paper explores how women's employment context affects their attitudes towards the women's movement. Previous research finds a relationship between employment and gender attitudes. We examine three mechanisms which might account for this relationship: the social status of some occupati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Political Geography Quarterly 1991-04, Vol.10 (2), p.174-185
Main Authors: Banaszak, Lee Ann, Leighley, Jan E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Employment
FEMALE SEX
FEMININE POLITICS
Gender
Political Attitudes
POLITICAL BEHAVIOR
POLITICAL BELIEF(S)
SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT
Women
Women's employment
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Summary:This paper explores how women's employment context affects their attitudes towards the women's movement. Previous research finds a relationship between employment and gender attitudes. We examine three mechanisms which might account for this relationship: the social status of some occupations provides specific benefits which cause women to adopt more non-traditional attitudes; employment experiences such as entering the workforce and working in a non-traditional occupation increase feminist attitudes; and, the social networks and context acquired through employment alter traditional sex-role attitudes. A regression analysis of survey data from South Bend, Indiana, finds that experiences in male-dominated jobs and social networks with employed women significantly increase support for the women's movement.
ISSN:0260-9827
0962-6298
DOI:10.1016/0260-9827(91)90019-Q