Abstract
A widely accepted view describes gender-role inequality as less prevalent among the middle class than the working class. Gender-role inequality within the intact nuclear family is asserted to be a syndrome characterized by unequal husband—wife authority, rigid division of household labor, and greater freedom in leisure pursuits for the husband. This view is generally unsupported by the findings of the present study, a secondary analysis of a sample survey conducted in Houston in 1969–1970. Two classes (working and middle) were compared, with ethnicity (Anglo, Black, Mexican-American) and sex controlled. Questionnaire items concerned leisure-time freedom for wives, gender differences in children's socialization, and sexual division of labor in the household. Differences between groups were generally small and inconsistent. In some cases, sexual and ethnic differences were greater than those of class. An intercorrelation matrix revealed few significant correlations between egalitarian responses to the various items, suggesting that egalitarianism or its opposite is not a syndrome.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References Cited
Ballweg, J. A. Husband—Wife response similarities on evaluative and nonevaluative survey questions. Public Opinion Quarterly 1969, 33(Summer), 249–254.
Blood, R. O., Jr., & Wolfe, D. M. Husbands and wives: The dynamics of family living. New York: The Free Press, 1966.
Cavan, R. S. The American family (4th ed.). New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1969.
Davis, A. & Havighurst, R. J. Social class and color differences in child-rearing. American Sociological Review 1946, 11(December), 698–710.
Gaskell, J. S. The sex-role ideology of working-class girls. Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology 1975, 12(Part 1, November), 453–461.
Glenn, N., & Alston, J. P. Cultural differences among occupational categories. American Sociological Review 1968, 33(June), 365–382.
Hacker, H. M. Class and race differences in gender roles. In L. Duberman (Ed.), Gender and sex in society. New York: Praeger, 1975, pp. 134–184.
Hamilton, R. F. Class and politics in the United States. New York: Wiley, 1972.
Havighurst, R. J., & Davis, A. A comparison of the Chicago and Harvard studies of social class differences in child-rearing. American Sociological Review 1955, 20(August), 438–442.
Hyman, H. H. Research design. In R. E. Ward (Ed.), Studying Politics Abroad: Field Research in the Developing Areas. Boston: Little, Brown, 1964, pp. 164ff.
Kohn, M. L. Class and conformity: A study in values. Homewood, Ill.: Dorsey Press, 1969.
Komarovsky, M. Blue-collar marriage. New York: Random House, 1962.
Maccoby, E. E., & Gibbs, P. K. Methods of child-rearing in two social classes. In W. E. Martin & C. B. Stendler (Eds.), Readings in child development. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1954, pp. 380–396.
Rainwater, L., Coleman, R. P., & Handel, G. Workingman's wife: Her personality, world and life style. New York: Oceana Publications, 1959.
Rainwater, L., & Weinstein, K. K. And the poor get children: Sex, contraception, and family planning in the working class. Chicago: Quadrangle Books, 1960.
Rodman, H. Middle-class misconceptions about lower-class families. In A. B. Shostak & W. Gomberg (Eds.), Blue-collar world: Studies of the American worker. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1964, pp. 59–69.
Safilios-Rothschild, C. The study of family power structure: A review, 1960–1969. Journal of Marriage and the Family 1970, 32(November), 539–551.
Scanzoni, J. H. The Black family in modern society. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1971.
Schulz, D. A. The changing family: Its function and future. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1972.
Sears, R. R., Maccoby, E. E., & Levin, H. Patterns of child rearing. Evanston, Ill.: Row, Peterson & Co., 1957.
Shostak, A. B. Blue collar life. New York: Random House, 1969.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This paper utilized data collected on a project partially supported by NIMH Grant No. MH 15708. Computer services were provided by the Institute of Computer Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, supported by NIH Grant No. RR 00259, and the Institute for Computer Services and Applications, Rice University, Houston, Texas. Secondary analysis of data was carried out in the Winter of 1975–1976. We wish to thank Dr. George Antunes of the University of Houston, Dr. Richard Hamilton of McGill University, and Judith Scott of Texas Research Institute of Mental Sciences for their critical reading of an earlier draft of this paper.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Davidson, C., Davidson, V.M.T. Variations in gender-role equality among classes: A research note. Sex Roles 3, 459–467 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287410
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287410