Women gain less from feminism than men—survey

Press, 17 June 1986, Page 12

Women gain less from feminism than men—survey

NZPA-AP New York Only half of all women who have been married one time say they would marry the same man if they had it to do again, according to a new survey.

Eighty-three per cent of women surveyed agreed that men have gained more than women from the social changes of the past 20 years. But, though 87 per cent felt their lives have grown more complicated in that time, most women still feel they are better off now than they were in 1966.

No matter what situation she is in herself, today’s woman is likely

to value the economic and personal gains women have made, says Ethel Klein, associate professor of political science at Columbia University. More than 56,000 women completed questionnaires which were published in “Women’s Day” magazine. The pollsters, Yankeiovich, Skelly and White, then chose 3009 of the forma at random and tabulated them.

The resulting statistics have a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 per cent, according to the magazine. Among the findings: • Seventy-five per

cent feel men expect too much of them in the area of child care and housework; forty-six per cent said their husbands were understanding but not very helpful when they were too busy to keep the household running smoothly; while 17 per cent said their husbands were irritated or angry.

• Half of the oncemarried women said they would marry the same man again, 38 per cent said they would not and the rest were undecided. Those married more than once were less likely to secondguess themselves; 63 per cent said they would marry their present husbands again, but 24 per cent said no. Of those in their first marriages, only 55 per cent felt they got married for the right reasons, while 41 per cent said they did not. • While the majority believe women have gained more than they have lost in the last 20 years when it comes to

careers and relationships with men, 40 per cent feel they have lost more than they have gained in terms of children and family life. • Three!? quarters agreed that the decision to have children has become very complicated, for reasons as varied as the cost, the uncertaintyof world events, and the impact on the mother’s career; 73 per cent said public officials were not paying enough attention to child care. Forty-one per cent said men should and do take more responsibility in the raising of children, while 46 per cent said they should take a greater role, but most are unwilling to do so.

• Eighty per cent believe men under-estimate them in the workplace. But given the choice, 43 per cent would pick a male boss, and 14 per cent would choose a woman. The remainder said there was no difference, or had no opinion.