changing attitudes to family life and gender...

Changing attitudes to family life and gender roles

Rita Gouveia

(Université de Genève/Instituto de Ciencias Sociais)

Karin Wall

(instituto de Ciencias Sociais)

Men Roles in a Gender Equality Perspective: National and cross-national secondary data analysis

Objectives

1. To analyse the attitudes to family life and gender roles in Portuguese society, including the attitudes to legal innovations (2014)

2. To examine the evolution of the attitudinal trends between 2002 and 2014 – continuities and changes

3. To understand the attitudes to male participation in family life in articulation with work-family balance (2014)

4. To explore the role of gender and generation as shaping factors

Data collection and measurements

Data 2002:

ISSP - Module Family and Gender Roles 2012

Representative sample; ≥ 18 years old; N=1092

Data 2014:

ISSP - Module Family and Gender Roles 2012

- Module "Men and Family Life" (EEA/CITE/CIG)

Representative sample; ≥ 18 years old; N=1001)

Scale

1- Totally disagree to 5 – Totally agree

Attitudes to family and gender roles 2014 (% agree and totally agree)

24,6

35,4

42,4

43

46,2

57,5

71,4

74,6

78,9

79,3

83,6

94,2

94,5

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

A man's job is to earn money; a woman's job is to look after the…

People who want children should get married

A job is all right, but what most women really want is a home…

All in all, family life suffers when the woman has a full-time job.

A man alone or a woman alone can bring up a child as well as…

A pre-school child is likely to suffer if his or her mother works…

Divorce is usually the best solution when a couple can’t seem to …

A working mother can establish just as warm relationship with…

It is all right for a couple to live together without intending to…

Men should take care of children more than they take currently

Men should take care of the household more than they take…

Both the man and woman should contribute to the household…

Watching children grow up is life's greatest joy

Legal innovations 2014 (% agree and totally agree)

35,8

39,2

41,4

48

53,3

58,8

61,4

91,2

Adopção de crianças por casais do mesmo sexo

Casamento entre pessoas do mesmo sexo

Interrupção voluntária da gravidez até às 10 semanas

Quotas (um número de lugares reservado) para homens emprofissões habitualmente associadas à mulher (e.g.…

Quotas (um número de lugares reservado) para mulheres emcargos de poder e decisão

O pai gozar um mês de licença sozinho a tratar do bebé quandoa mãe regressa ao trabalho

Ser obrigatório o pai ficar duas semanas de licença a seguir aonascimento do bebé

Garantir igualdade de salários para homens e mulheres

% Agree and totally agree

Female work and maternity

A pre-school child is likely to suffer if his or her mother works full-time

12,6

26,4

9,1

16,1

78,4

57,5

3,86

3,33

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

4,50

5,00

0,0

10,0

20,0

30,0

40,0

50,0

60,0

70,0

80,0

90,0

100,0

2002 2014

% respondents and mean

strongly disagree+disagree nor agree or disagree strongly agree+agree mean

A job is all right, but what most women really want is a home and children.

23,6

36,4

15,5 21,2

60,9

42,4

3,50

3,04

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

4,50

5,00

0,0

10,0

20,0

30,0

40,0

50,0

60,0

70,0

80,0

90,0

100,0

2002 2014



Female work and maternity: gender differences (2014)

3,40 3,28

3,15 2,96

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

4,50

5,00

male female


A job is all right, but what most women really want is a home and children

n.s.

Female work and maternity: age differences (2014)

3,34 3,14

3,40 3,45

2,85 2,82 3,06

3,37

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

4,50

5,00

18 - 29 anos 30 - 44 anos 45 - 64 anos +65 anos


A job is all right, but what most women really want is a home and children

Models of conjugal division of labour

Both man and woman should contribute to the household income

2,6 1,8 4,1 4,0

93,3 94,2

4,40 4,48

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

4,50

5,00

0,0

10,0

20,0

30,0

40,0

50,0

60,0

70,0

80,0

90,0

100,0

2002 2014



n.s

A man's job is to earn money; a woman's job is to look after the home and family

55,9 56,5

10,5

18,9

33,6

24,6

2,67 2,54

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

4,50

5,00

0,0

10,0

20,0

30,0

40,0

50,0

60,0

70,0

80,0

90,0

100,0

2002 2014



Conjugal models of paid work: gender differences (2014)

4,36 4,40

2,62 2,47

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

4,50

5,00

male female

Both the man and woman should contribute to the household income

A man's job is to earn money; a woman's job is to look after the home and family

n.s.

Conjugal models of paid work: age differences (2014)

4,50 4,47 4,41 4,19

2,07 2,14

2,49

3,29

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

4,50

5,00


dual earner male breadwiner

Informalisation of marriage

Divorce is usually the best solution when a couple can’t seem to work out their marriage problems

13,0 16,6

8,1 12,0

78,8

71,4 3,92

3,78

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

4,50

5,00

0,0

10,0

20,0

30,0

40,0

50,0

60,0

70,0

80,0

90,0

100,0

2002 2014



It is all right for a couple to live together without intending to get married

13,2 10,9 5,2

10,2

81,6 78,9

3,98 4,02

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

4,50

5,00

0,0

10,0

20,0

30,0

40,0

50,0

60,0

70,0

80,0

90,0

100,0

2002 2014



n.s.

Informalisation and de-institutionalisation of marriage: gender differences (2014)

3,78 3,78

3,98 4,05

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

4,50

5,00

male female



n.s.

n.s.

Informalisation and de-institutionalisation of marriage: age differences (2014)

3,58 3,74

3,89 3,80

4,35 4,21 4,15

3,46

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

4,50

5,00




Centrality of children and lone-parenthood

A man alone or a woman alone can bring up a child as well as two parents together

53,2

39,8

9,5 14,0

37,2

46,2 2,79

3,10

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

4,50

5,00

0,0

10,0

20,0

30,0

40,0

50,0

60,0

70,0

80,0

90,0

100,0

2002 2014



Lone-parenthood: gender differences (2014)

2,88

3,29

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

male female


Lone-parenthood: age differences (2014)

3,57

3,28 3,22

2,51

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00



Male participation in family life

Men should take care of the household more than they take currently

7,8 5,5 7,2 10,9

85,0 83,6

4,11 4,03

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

4,50

5,00

0,0

10,0

20,0

30,0

40,0

50,0

60,0

70,0

80,0

90,0

100,0

2002 2014




5,9 5,8 7,9

14,9

86,2

79,3 4,10

3,93

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

4,50

5,00

0,0

10,0

20,0

30,0

40,0

50,0

60,0

70,0

80,0

90,0

100,0

2002 2014



Male participation in family life: gender differences (2014)

3,81

4,20

3,78 4,05

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

4,50

5,00

male female



Male participation in family life: age differences (2014)

4,09 4,12 4,08

3,80

3,94 3,99 3,95 3,82

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

4,50

5,00




Parental leave sharing and work-family conciliation

Uses of parental leave (2014) Consider a couple who both work full-time and now have a new born child. If both are in a similar work situation and are eligible for paid leave, how should this paid leave period be divided between the mother and the father?

28,3% 26,4% 27,2%

43,9% 49,5% 47,0%

27,6% 24,1% 25,7%

0,0%

10,0%

20,0%

30,0%

40,0%

50,0%

60,0%

70,0%

80,0%

90,0%

100,0%

male female total

% of respondents

Mother entire, father not any

Mother most, father some

Mother and father half

Father most, mother some

Uses of parental leave: age differences

8,8% 11,6%

27,4%

56,3% 61,6%

55,6%

45,8%

30,1% 28,8% 32,7%

26,8%

13,5%

,8% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0%

10,0%

20,0%

30,0%

40,0%

50,0%

60,0%

70,0%

80,0%

90,0%

100,0%


Mother entire, father not any

Mother most, father some

Mother and father half

Father most, mother some

Work-family balance (2014) Consider a family with a child under school age. What, in your opinion, is the best way for them to organize their family and work life?

24,5% 23,4% 23,9%

48,1% 49,2% 48,7%

17,6% 18,7% 18,2%

8,2% 8,2% 8,2%

,9% ,2% ,5% ,7% ,4% ,5% 0,0%

10,0%

20,0%

30,0%

40,0%

50,0%

60,0%

70,0%

80,0%

90,0%

100,0%

male female total

Mother at home, father full-time

Mother part-time, father full-time

Mother and father full-time

Mother and father part-time

Father part-time, mother full-time

Father at home, mother full-time

Work-family balance: age differences

8,3% 11,0%

24,1%

45,8%

52,1% 55,3%

49,4%

38,3%

25,6% 22,7%

17,1%

11,3% 14,0%

9,9% 7,6% 4,2%

0,0%

10,0%

20,0%

30,0%

40,0%

50,0%

60,0%

70,0%

80,0%

90,0%

100,0%


Mother at home, father full-time

Mother part-time, father full-time

Mother and father full-time

Mother and father part-time

Father part-time, mother full-time

Father at home, mother full-time

Final remarks

• Attitudinal profile

– Agreement with the dual-earner model and egalitarian vision of participation in the labour market

– Combined with the need for family work-balance (parenthood and household), through a greater participation of men in family life

– Desinstitutionalized vision of marriage and of the binomial marriage-parenthood

– Child-centerdness and attitudes in evolution (eg. Lone-parenthood)

Legal innovations

– Faster appropriation of laws/measures promoting a greater male participation in family life and gender equality in labour market

– Slower appropriation of laws/ measures associated to same sex families' rights and voluntary termination of pregnancy

Final remarks

• Changing trends (2002-2014)

– More egalitarian vision of female participation in the labour market + need of family-balance conciliation through a stronger male participation in family life

– Increasing acceptance of single-parenthood and a new resistance to divorce (younger generation)

• Continuity trends (2002-2014) – Centrality of children in personal identity

– Reinforcement of informalisation of marriage through cohabitation and by separating the binomial parenthood-marriage

– Strong adherence/agreement with the dual-earner model and rejection of traditional gender models regarding the sharing of paid work

Final remarks Uses of paid leave and family-work conciliation

• Couple with new born child: The majority agrees that the mother should take most of the paid leave

period and the father should take some of it. However, 25% agrees on the equally shared paid leave. • Couple with a pre-school child: Almost half of the sample agrees that the best option to balance family

and work would be the female as a part-time worker, and male as full-time worker. However, nearly 19% agrees that both mother and father should be full-time workers

• These perspectives are transversal to men and women

• The oldest generation shows a higher agreement with traditional models (mother staying at home and taking the entire leave period)

Shaping factors Gender: • Women are more open to normative change (lone-parenthood, male participation) • No gender differences in the conjugal division of paid work and in the informalisation of marriage Age: • Older generation (+65) and younger generation (18-29) -> more resistant to change

changing attitudes to family life and gender...

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