Are Working Women Really More Satisfied? Evidence from Several National Surveys

Recent articles by Ferree (1976, 1976b) and earlier studies by other authors have argued that women with jobs outside the home are generally happier and more satisfied with their lives than are fulltime housewives. Evidence from six large national surveys conducted by the University ofMichigan and the National Opinion Research Center between 1971 and 1976 consistently fails to support this hypothesis. We conclude that both work outside the home and fulltime housewifery have benefits and costs attached to them; the net result is that there is no consistent or significant differences in patterns of life satisfaction between the two groups.