Women, Work, and Political Attitudes

Cross-sectional comparisons of employed women and housewives have found significant differences in political opinions and political involvement, as well as differences on psychological variables such as self-esteem. This paper applies a quasi-experimental design to the 1972-1976 National Election Study panel, comparing employed women, housewives, and women who entered the labor force between 1972 and 1976, in order to examine the competing hypotheses of self-selection and socialization.