Working Women Essays - Gender Studies, Women In The Workforce

Working Women Working Women Jasleen Singh May 24, 2001 Professor Kenneth JandaProblem Even as far back as the United States independence, women did not possess any civil rights. According to Janda, this view is also known as protectionism, the notion that women mush be sheltered from life's harsh realities. Protectionism carried on throughout the general populations view for many decades until the 1920's when the women's movement started. Women finally received the right to vote in the Nineteenth Amendment. The traditional views of protectionism, however, remained in people's minds until the 1970's (Janda et al, 2000: 538-539). Around this time, women started to take on other roles outside the typical traditional role of housewife. Women were going to college, obtaining their degrees, and starting their careers. This step forward in women's independence came with much scrutiny. What was happening to working women, to their households, their family roles, and their children? Many people from many different nations have different views based on women's rights with regards to career choice. Nations have different beliefs on women's independence by working, a working mother's relationship with her children, and the affect on the child whose mother works. These beliefs, especially of a preschool child suffering if his/her mother works, are based upon an individual's religiosity and age. These issues are imperative to politics. Many countries are giving more civil rights to women to treat them as equals to men. Women, therefore, have more power and say in the government. Yet, how much power should the government allot to women while still protecting family values. Many citizens feel that family values are core to moral beings, and allowing women to have careers will affect the future generations. On the other hand, women are humans and citizens equal to men and must therefore have the same equality of opportunity. To see what other factors play a role in individual's beliefs is important for a political figure to take in consideration when proposing bills or campaigning for office in order to respond and appeal to their voters. Method and Theory The method of research used to fully understand a society's views on working mothers is simply designed. An analysis of the 1990-91 World Values Survey is possible through the SPSS program. In Citizen Politics, the World Values Surveys are a series of representative national surveys designed to provide an empirical base for the study of social and cultural change among the publics of societies throughout the world (Dalton, 1996: 289). The nations surveyed are the United States, Great Britain, West Germany, France, and East Germany. In order to examine the dilemma of these beliefs, specific variables are chosen and run through the program using the results of the surveys. First, variables referring to women job independence and women and their children were analyzed across nation to understand what nations views on women workers. Then a cross tabulation of the variable KID.JOB (referring to the statement if a preschool child is affected by a working mother) across nation is analyzed. Then other cross tabulations of KID.JOB to religiosity (PIOUS) and age (AGE) across nation were run through SPSS to prove that these are factors in individuals beliefs toward this issue. These variables used together are essential to understanding society's views on women's career goals and how they affect the family. Theoretically, career oriented women has shaped the family and government. The general population within the nations agrees that working women are more independent and that they can still have relationships with their children. However, they also believe that preschool children suffer when their mothers work. Religiosity and age are both factors in this belief. A religious person would agree that the child suffers since the person is more concerned with traditional family values. Also, an older person would agree that a child suffers since they grew up in a decade in which families practiced the traditional gender roles. Data Analysis The United States, Great Britain, West Germany, France, and East Germany all differ in their views of women's civil rights. For example, the nations hold dissimilar ideas referring to women's independence. Most nations agree that having a job makes a woman independent according to Table 1 (Cross-tabulation of OWN.JOB across nation). Since the largest percentages for each nation agree