Using Egalitarian Items to Measure Gender Role Equality:

a Cross National Experiment

Michael BraunGESIS-ZUMA

Mannheim, Germany

3rd ESRC Research Methods Festival, Session 45, July 2008, Oxford

Overview

Traditional or egalitarian formulation of gender role items

Methods and Data Results Conclusions

Traditional or egalitarian formulation of gender role items

Traditional or egalitarian formulation of gender role items

With traditional items support for egalitarian roles cannot be expressed

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

Protests of respondents

Modern trends not visible

But: Do egalitarian items work? Egalitarian item: "A man and a woman should share

housework and childcare, so that both can combine work and family"

Methods and Data

Methods and data

Quantitative methodological survey (East and West Germany, Hungary, Canada, Spain)

Qualitative data from probing questions(Germany)

Items of methodological survey

"It is good if the man stays at home and cares for the children and the woman goes out to work“

"A man and a woman should share housework and childcare, so that both can combine work and family"

Results

Quantitative Evidence

Germany West East

Hungary Canada Spain

Men’s job: money – Women’s job: family (GR-Ideology)

2.7 3.3 2.5 4.1 3.4

Role reversal 3.7 3.9 4.4 3.0 3.3

Career for both 3.8 4.3 4.1 4.1 4.0

GR-Ideology with Role reversal

-.28* -.10* -.11* -.26* -.33*

GR-Ideology with Career for both

.27* .20* .22* .17* .27*

Different non-traditional ideology schemas:"It is good if the man stays at home and cares for the

children and the woman goes out to work."

• "It is time that roles in society are reversed, in such a way that men assume more responsibility for family and household ..."

• "Why should that be worse than if the woman stays at home? However, it could well be that one shares."

• "Exactly as unfulfilling as it is for a woman, it is for a man. In addition, it is not honored by society. I would not like my husband to stay for a longer time at home."

• "In my opinion there should not be a role reversal when it comes to labor-force participation, but instead a solution which enables both partners to combine their jobs and household work/ childcare."

• "If it is o.k. with the family, nothing speaks against it. Individuality is asked for."

Different non-traditional ideology schemas: "A man and a woman should share housework and

childcare, so that both can combine work and family"

• "Under the aspect of equality of opportunity of the genders this does not ... need any justification."

• "It depends, for some women it is completely fulfilling just to do the household chores, as well as it is for some men, people have to negotiate this among themselves. However, both should be satisfied with the situation."

• "Sweeping judgments like these are from time immemorial. The pluralistic society will develop the most diverse forms, which all could co-exist as being of equal value. This is what I hope at least."

Emphasis on the traditional father role: "A man and a woman should share housework and

childcare, so that both can combine work and family"

• "The child should feel that it is equally loved by both parents."

• "As far as raising children by both parents is concerned, I agree; the other aspect is something in addition and everyone can deal with it as he or she likes."

• "With this argument: no. Well, because I do not like the argument that they should divide job and household chores to the same degree. Yes, they should share the raising of the children equally, but not because they can combine job and family, but ... because the children have both mother and father to the same degree."

Conclusions

Conclusions

Quantitative evidence from surveys:– lack of discrimination between traditional and

non-traditional respondents

Qualitative evidence from probing interviews:– existence of different non-traditional ideology

schemas– emphasis on traditional father role

Conclusions

For non-traditional respondents different non-traditional positions exist: – gender equality– facilitating labor-force participation of both

partners – enhancing individuality

weak agreement with any specific egalitarian solution

Conclusions

For traditional respondents multiple stimuli might provoke a non-conformist respondent behavior.

Parts of the items are ignored (e.g. facilitation of female labor-force participation) and others are focused on (e.g. the traditional role of the father)

Thank you!