Age and sex differences in gender role attitudes in Luxembourg between 1999 and 2008

Abstract

This article uses European Values Study (EVS) data from 1999 and 2008 to examine the evolution of gender role attitudes in Luxembourg. The article focuses on three aspects of attitudinal change. First, it analyses whether the gender role beliefs have changed during the past decade. Second, it examines whether these changes have been equally experienced by men and by women of different age categories. Third, it analyses whether the gender gap in attitudes towards gender roles diminishes over time. The outcomes of the analysis reveal that during the past 10 years Luxembourg’s residents have become significantly less traditional when it comes to attitudes towards the childcare and economic aspects of gender roles. Young women are the strongest supporters of more egalitarian division of labour between the sexes, while young men lag behind their female counterparts. This gender gap appears to persist especially in the case of attitudes towards women doing homemaking.