The study, by a Cambridge University sociology professor, compared theresults of social attitude surveys from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s fromthe UK, the US and Germany. It found that only 46 per cent of women and42 per cent of men currently believe that family life would not sufferif women went to work, compared to 50 per cent of women and 51 per centof men in the 1990s.
The study, published in a new book, Women and Employment; Changing livesand new challenges (Edward Elgar Publishing), said the change had beenmore extreme in the US, where the percentage of people who believefamilies do not suffer if women work has fallen from 51 per cent in 1994to 38 per cent in 2002.
It concluded that there needs to be more research on whether theattitude shift is occurring because caring for the family is still seenas women's work, or because people feel there is no practicalalternative to maternal care.
Professor Jacqueline Scott, who led the study, said, 'It is conceivableopinions are shifting as the shine of the "supermum" wears off, and theidea of women juggling high-powered careers while also reading bedtimestories is increasingly seen to be unrealisable by ordinary mortals.
'If we are to make progress in devising policies that encourage equalworking opportunities for women, we need to know more about what genderroles people view as practical, possible and fair,' she added.
Professor Scott said that each country appeared to be in a differentstage in a 'cycle of sympathy' for gender equality. In Germany, where upuntil the 1990s a large majority of people still believed that menshould be the family breadwinners while women stayed at home, supportfor the idea of working mothers appears to be increasing. In the UK andthe US, where support for equal opportunities is longer-standing,concern appears to be growing that the welfare of families iscompromised as women find themselves juggling the double burden ofemployment and family care.
Jonathan Swan, policy officer at Working Families, said, 'We would liketo see real change in the workplace which will help women, and men,fulfil their working and caring responsibilities on a more equitablebasis. We know men want to become more involved with their children, andmany women want to carry on working when they have children. But the waywork is organised and rewarded means it is very difficult for familiesto escape old gender roles and assumptions.'