How employment affects women's gender attitudes: The workplace as a locus of contextual effects

Abstract

This paper explores how women's employment context affects their attitudes towards the women's movement. Previous research finds a relationship between employment and gender attitudes. We examine three mechanisms which might account for this relationship: the social status of some occupations provides specific benefits which cause women to adopt more non-traditional attitudes; employment experiences such as entering the workforce and working in a non-traditional occupation increase feminist attitudes; and, the social networks and context acquired through employment alter traditional sex-role attitudes. A regression analysis of survey data from South Bend, Indiana, finds that experiences in male-dominated jobs and social networks with employed women significantly increase support for the women's movement.