Attitudes
Attitudes, Expectations, Non-Cognitive Tests, Activities
Attitudes
Mature Women Attitude Variables
Respondents have answered questions about their attitudes on a wide variety of topics. Many questions refer to attitudes about work and retirement. Periodically, the surveys ask about satisfaction with life in general, housework, and child care.
Attitudes toward retirement
As this cohort aged, the surveys began eliciting attitudes and expectations about retirement (see Table MW1 for reference numbers). In 1979, 1982, 1984, and 1986, respondents were asked at what age they expected their husbands to retire; those who were participating in the labor market at the time of the survey were also asked at what age they expected to retire. Additionally, these women were asked if they intended to continue working after their husband's retirement. The 1989 and 1995-2001 surveys included questions on attitudes toward retirement in general. For example, respondents were asked to agree or disagree with statements such as "Work is the most meaningful part of life" and "People who don't retire when they can afford to are foolish."
Table MW1. Reference Numbers for Questions on Attitudes and Expectations toward Work
| Year | Husband's attitude toward R working |
Expected age of retirement |
Expected age of husband's retirement |
General attitude toward retirement |
| 1967 | R00339.00 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1972 | R02448.00 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1977 | R03678.00 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1979 | -- | R04805.00 | R04820.00 | |
| 1982 | R06074.00 | R06438.00 | R06459.00 | -- |
| 1984 | -- | R07089.00 | R07099.00 | -- |
| 1986 | -- | R07660.00 | R07687.00 | -- |
| 1987 | R08395.00 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1989 | -- | -- | -- | R09892.00-R09896.00 |
| 1995 | -- | -- | -- | R34878.00-R34882.00 |
| 1997 | -- | -- | -- | R42013.00-R42017.00 |
| 1999 | -- | -- | -- | R51505.00-R51509.00 |
| 2001 | -- | -- | -- | R62457.00-R62461.00 |
Attitudes toward women working
To capture societal sentiment about women participating in the labor force, the survey has asked a wide variety of questions about working women/mothers. In select years, respondents were asked how their husbands felt about the respondents working (see Table MW2). There was also a series of questions which elicited attitudes about the circumstances under which respondents felt it was acceptable for married women with young children to hold jobs outside the home. Table MW3 lists reference numbers for questions about women's roles in the labor market (although these questions were not asked in every survey year, a pattern of changing attitudes about working mothers can be observed).
Table MW2. Reference Numbers for Attitudes toward Wives Working Questions
Statements |
Survey Year | |||
| 1972 | 1977 | 1982 | 1987 | |
| Wife can work without neglecting her family | R02435.00 | R03664.00 | R06058.00 | R08379.00 |
| Women's place is in the home | R02436.00 | R03665.00 | R06059.00 | R08380.00 |
| Job gives wife interesting outside contacts | R02437.00 | R03666.00 | -- | -- |
| Wife with a family doesn't have time for employment | R02438.00 | R03667.00 | R06060.00 | R08381.00 |
| A working wife feels more useful | R02439.00 | R03668.00 | R06061.00 | R08382.00 |
| Employment of wives leads to juvenile delinquency | R02440.00 | R03669.00 | R06062.00 | R08383.00 |
| Employment of parents needed to keep up with cost of living | R02443.00 | R03672.00 | R06063.00 | R08384.00 |
| Working wives raise the standard of living | R02441.00 | R03670.00 | -- | -- |
| Working wives lose interest in home and family | R02442.00 | R03671.00 | -- | -- |
| It is better for all if man is outside achiever and woman takes care of family | -- | -- | R06064.00 | R08385.00 |
| Men should share the work around the house with women | -- | -- | R06065.00 | R08386.00 |
| Working mothers can have as secure relationship with child as non-working mothers | -- | -- | R06066.00 | R08387.00 |
| Women are happier if they stay home and take care of kids | -- | -- | R06067.00 | R08388.00 |
| Rearing children should not inhibit career | -- | -- | R06068.00 | R08389.00 |
Table MW3. Attitudes toward Married Women's Participation in the Labor Market (Unweighted)
| Probably or definitely not all right | No opinion, undecided | Probably or definitely all right | |||||||||||||
| Survey Year | Survey Year | Survey Year | |||||||||||||
| Conditions1 | 67 | 72 | 77 | 82 | 87 | 67 | 72 | 77 | 82 | 87 | 67 | 72 | 77 | 82 | 87 |
| ...if necessary to make ends meet | |||||||||||||||
| Number Percentage2 |
314 6.2 |
270 6.0 |
222 5.6 |
128 3.6 |
113 3.5 |
39 0.8 |
18 0.4 |
22 0.6 |
10 0.3 |
18 0.6 |
4716 92.8 |
4077 91.2 |
3662 92.4 |
3359 94.8 |
3065 94.6 |
| ...if she wants & husband agrees | |||||||||||||||
| Number Percentage2 |
1116 22.0 |
661 14.8 |
403 10.2 |
241 6.8 |
207 6.4 |
68 1.3 |
19 0.4 |
30 0.8 |
28 0.8 |
25 0.8 |
3886 76.5 |
3684 82.4 |
3472 87.6 |
3228 91.1 |
2956 91.2 |
| ...if she wants & husband disagrees | |||||||||||||||
| Number Percentage2 |
4105 80.1 |
3292 73.6 |
2532 63.9 |
1830 51.7 |
1514 46.7 |
140 2.8 |
67 1.5 |
123 3.1 |
113 3.2 |
161 5.0 |
822 16.2 |
1004 22.5 |
1247 31.5 |
1554 43.9 |
1510 46.6 |
| Source: Table is based on responses to the following questions: R00335.00-R00337.00 in 1967; R02444.00-R02446.00 in 1972; R03673.00-R03675.00 in 1977; R06069.00-R06071.00 in 1982; and R08390.00-R08392.00 in 1987. | |||||||||||||||
| 1 The question asked respondents the following: How do you feel about a married woman with children between the ages of 6 and 12 taking a full-time job outside the home under the following conditions? | |||||||||||||||
| 2 This refers to the percentage of the total interviewed population in that survey year giving the indicated response. This total was 5083 in 1967, 4471 in 1972, 3964 in 1977, 3542 in 1982, and 3241 in 1987. | |||||||||||||||
User Notes
The attitudes toward women working questions have also been asked of the Young Women and NLSY79 respondents in multiple surveys, permitting comparisons across generations and over time. Questions on household tasks have likewise been addressed to Young Women and NLSY79 respondents.
Attitudes toward life
In addition to attitudes about work and working, respondents provided data on their feelings about life in general. In each survey since 1979, respondents have answered to a global life satisfaction question on how they were feeling these days (e.g., R04856.00). They are asked to classify themselves overall as very happy, somewhat happy, somewhat unhappy, or very unhappy. For additional measures, see the Psychological Well Being section.
Attitudes toward housekeeping and child care
Respondents were asked about their opinions on working in the home as a part of the non-paid labor force. In 1967 (R00341.00), 1979 (R04676.00), 1982 (R06076.00), and 1987 (R08397.00), the women were asked for their general attitudes (i.e., "How do you feel about keeping house in your own home?").
At select survey points, the women were asked more detailed questions about their responsibility for a variety of household tasks. Beginning in 1974 and continuing until 1989, a series of questions was asked of respondents about the degree of their responsibilities for select household chores. The response categories included respondent has sole responsibility, respondent shares responsibility, others have responsibility, and not applicable. In some of these survey years, respondents who answered that they shared responsibility for a particular task with others or that others had sole responsibility for the task were asked for their relationship to the other person who usually performed (shared) the task. In addition, those women who shared responsibility with someone else for a given task were asked the frequency (less than half of the time, about half the time, or more than half the time) with which they performed the task. In the 1981 survey, respondents were asked how they felt about performing each task (like, dislike, or don't mind). Table MW4 summarizes this series of items.
Additional questions regarding the respondent's general attitudes toward taking care of children (R00342.00 in 1967) and her attitude toward the use of child care centers specifically (R01686.00-R01688.00 and R01707.00 in 1971) have been collected irregularly. See the Child Care section for more information about child care arrangements.
Table MW4. Reference Numbers for Questions on Respondent Responsibility for Household Tasks
| Year | Child care | Cleaning dishes |
Cleaning house |
Cooking | Family paperwork |
Grocery shopping |
Care of ill/ disabled |
Washing clothes |
Yard/home maintenance |
| Extent of respondent responsibility for task1 | |||||||||
| 1974 | R03022.00 | R03024.00 | R03025.00 | R03023.00 | -- | R03021.00 | -- | R03026.00 | R03027.00 |
| 1976 | R03229.00 | R03231.00 | R03232.00 | R03230.00 | -- | R03228.00 | -- | R03233.00 | R03234.00 |
| 1981 | R04996.00 | R05002.00 | R05005.00 | R04999.00 | R05014.00 | R04993.00 | -- | R05008.00 | R05011.00 |
| 1982 | R06095.00 | R06101.00 | R06104.00 | R06098.00 | R06113.00 | R06092.00 | -- | R06107.00 | R06110.00 |
| 1984 | R06799.00 | R06808.00 | R06811.00 | R06805.00 | R06820.00 | R06796.00 | R06802.00 | R06814.00 | R06817.00 |
| 1987 | R08416.00 | R08425.00 | R08428.00 | R08422.00 | R08437.00 | R08413.00 | R08419.00 | R08431.00 | R08434.00 |
| 1989 | R09405.00 | R09414.00 | R09417.00 | R09411.00 | R09426.00 | R09402.00 | R09408.00 | R09420.00 | R09423.00 |
| Relationship of other person sharing/performing task | |||||||||
| 1981 | R04997.00 | R05003.00 | R05006.00 | R05000.00 | R05015.00 | R04994.00 | -- | R05009.00 | R05012.00 |
| 1982 | R06096.00 | R06102.00 | R06105.00 | R06099.00 | R06114.00 | R06093.00 | -- | R06108.00 | R06111.00 |
| 1984 | R06800.00 | R06809.00 | R06812.00 | R06806.00 | R06821.00 | R06797.00 | R06803.00 | R06815.00 | R06818.00 |
| 1987 | R08417.00 | R08426.00 | R08429.00 | R08423.00 | R08438.00 | R08414.00 | R08420.00 | R08432.00 | R08435.00 |
| 1989 | R09406.00 | R09415.00 | R09418.00 | R09412.00 | R09427.00 | R09403.00 | R09409.00 | R09421.00 | R09424.00 |
| Frequency respondent performs task | |||||||||
| 1982 | R06097.00 | R06103.00 | R06106.00 | R06100.00 | R06115.00 | R06094.00 | -- | R06109.00 | R06112.00 |
| 1984 | R06801.00 | R06810.00 | R06813.00 | R06807.00 | R06822.00 | R06798.00 | R06804.00 | R06816.00 | R06819.00 |
| 1987 | R08418.00 | R08427.00 | R08430.00 | R08424.00 | R08439.00 | R08415.00 | R08421.00 | R08433.00 | R08436.00 |
| 1989 | R09407.00 | R09416.00 | R09419.00 | R09413.00 | R09428.00 | R09404.00 | R09410.00 | R09422.00 | R09425.00 |
| Respondent's attitude toward performing task | |||||||||
| 1981 | R04998.00 | R05004.00 | R05007.00 | R05001.00 | R05016.00 | R04995.00 | -- | R05010.00 | R05013.00 |
| 1 Numbering of response categories may change over time. Users should consult the codebook for precise coding. | |||||||||
Related Variables: The Job Satisfaction section describes questions about the respondent's attitude toward her current job. The Job Search section discusses questions on reservation wages, hypothetical job offers, and plans to seek work in the future. See the section on Psychological Well Being for additional measures of emotional well-being.
Survey Instruments: Questions on attitudes are found in various questionnaire sections, including "Attitudes about Work," "Attitudes," and "Health."