Unpacking Americans’ Views on the Employment of Mothers and Fathers: Lessons from a National Vignette Survey

• In Event: 389 - Regular Session. Workplace Diversity

Abstract

Abstract

In this paper, we report on the results of a national survey experiment that uses vignettes to tap respondents’ views on the employment of mothers and fathers of preschool children. This study was designed to provide a fuller account of attitudes than is available from the questions on the gender division of labor currently included in the General Social Survey. When GSS questions were reworded, some patterns changed while others remained the same. When vignettes are presented that vary the conditions in which parents make decisions about work and caretaking, the public’s views about the employment of married mothers with young children vary considerably depending on both job attributes and family circumstances. The data also indicate similar variation regarding the employment of married fathers and single mothers, two groups not specified in GSS survey questions. Respondents’ choices also vary substantially when the choice set is expanded to include additional options, such as changing one’s job or childcare arrangement. These findings help unpack the assumptions respondents are making when they answer generic questions, such as those posed by the General Social Survey. They also provide insight regarding the “gender stall” thesis by showing that Americans’ views on mothers’ employment and fathers’ caretaking involvement are not monolithic, but rather vary depending on the circumstances facing parents.
 

Author

• Kathleen Gerson, New York University