Women exploited, more Aust. men say—survey

Press, 4 May 1984, Page 19

Women exploited, more Aust. men say —survey

NZPA-AAP Canberra In the last decade men have moved closer to women on attitudes relating to sex roles and domestic duties, with more men agreeing with women that women were exploited, says the Australian Institute of Family Studies.

In its 1982-83 annual report to the Federal Parliament the institute said a 1982 study of men and women aged 18 to 34 found there had been a shift to more egalitarian sex roles, with both men and women supporting the sharing of domestic roles and economic responsibility. “This perhaps augurs well for the future in terms of family relations, although it must be borne in mind that there is no guarantee that espoused attitudes actually ’A

influence behaviour,” it said. “Despite 10 years of women’s movement rhetoric, wide media coverage of women’s issues, debate of women’s roles and considerable legislative changes to redress the balance of inequality between the sexes, the same proportion of married women believe women are exploited by men,” it said. The report said this feeling was about 40 per cent for both sexes.

The figures were the result of a comparison of 1971 and 1982 data. The institute said there had been significant changes in attitude over the decade, with less support among married women for the idea that motherhood was a woman’s most important role and that it was

the only way women could be fulfilled. Fewer women believed decisions should be made by the husband, with only 16 per cent agreeing in 1982 compared with 44 per cent in 1971.

The survey found husbands agreed they should help with the housework. But they were unwilling to give up making the important decisions and were more likely to feel that wives should only work if they had to.

The report said this suggested that men regard themselves as the primary bread winner while women appeared to recognise the value of work for its own sake and had broadened their definition of themselves.