Wives and Work: The Sex Role Revolution and Its Consequences

The % of married women in the US work force has risen from 4.6% in 1890 to 51.2% in 1982. The more highly developed the country and the longer it has been developed the higher the proportion of married women in the labor force. The greatest increase in labor force participation has been among wives under age 35 with young children. Postponement of marriage diminished marital fertility longer life expectancies and the increasing frequency of divorces are all reasons for the decline of the male breadwinner system and the rise of the egalitarian system. The main weakness of the egalitarian system is that although it brings the wife back into economic production it does so outside the home and thus in a way incompatible with child raising. The remedy for this weakness is to equalize the rights and obligations of the 2 sexes in both the workplace and the home. But this will not occur until traditional attitudes towards working women change and public policy lessens the conflict between work and child care. Even then the egalitarian system would not be insured of lasting success. Immigrants from developing countries to developed countries will tip the scale away from the egalitarian system. Governmental policies concerning reproduction could also have profound effects on the egalitarian system. Thus a modified egalitarian system seems the most likely path in the future. (summaries in ENG FRE SPA)