One In Six Still Feels A Woman's Place Is At Home

One in six people still believes a woman's place is in the home, according to an authoritative survey of social attitudes funded by the Government.

The figure represents a dramatic fall since 1983, when 25 per cent thought women should be full-time mothers, but it represents a "sizeable minority", says the National Centre for Social Research.

Most of those who held traditional views were grandparents struggling to look after grandchildren while their daughters went out to work.

The survey's findings come hot on the heels of books such as The Surrendered Wife by Laura Doyle, and The Smart Woman's Guide to Staying at Home by Melissa Hill, which challenge the wisdom that it is disastrous to a woman's psychological health to stay at home.

The British Social Attitudes Survey, based on 2,000 in-depth interviews and conducted by the National Centre for Social Research, looks at how attitudes have changed towards a range of issues from the welfare state to transport.

It found that while attitudes towards working mothers had become "more positive", there was still a sizeable minority of people who perceived a woman's role as raising children at home.

Broken down by gender, the survey found that a fifth of men thought women should be at home compared to one in seven women. The older the person polled, the more likely they were to see a woman's role as the traditional home-based one.

Katarina Thomson, a co-director of the BSA, said many of those who felt women should be at home were over the age of 55 and probably grandparents.

She added: "Previous research shows that looking after grandchildren tends to be particularly stressful for younger grandparents."

"Their own parents may still be alive and sometimes these grandparents even have a job of their own."

The number of people who disapprove of working mothers increases considerably when the working mother in question has children under the age of five.

More than half the men polled said women should stay at home in these circumstances. Almost half of women (46 per cent) said the same.

Reality tells a different story, however. Six in 10 women with children under the age of five go out to work, encouraged by various Government initiatives.

You've got it exactly right. My husband and I are in our 40's so maybe we've got our heads screwed on a little tighter - we're not trendy anymore - but I would not give up being a full-time mom for anything.

Our son is now in first grade and I pick up a few freelance jobs as a television producer that allow me to write and work while he is in school. On those odd days I have to be on-location, his dad takes a vacation day to free me up to work crazy, long days. Otherwise, I'm there everyday to make his lunch, see him to and from the school bus and have milk and graham crackers and talk about his day after school. Children's' reactions to events at school are sometimes pretty subtle on the surface, unless you catch them in a "safe" moment. When things are fresh some pretty memorable lessons can be lost in the rush that is life. Countering some liberal teacher's statement is crucial.

I realize we are very fortunate, for the time being. My husband does pretty well, though we are not wealthy by any means. We've got a home we love (not the liberal neighborhood surrounding it, that's another story!) that's getting a bit beyond our means with successive 13% ('03) and 15% ('04)property tax increases.

We have never owned a cell phone. We don't have cable or dish. Books are better. Our vehicles are of the '90 and '95 persuasion and I make a mean lasagna or some such dish 6 days out of 7. Vacations pretty much amount to visiting relatives, though I hope to travel more. It was a staple of my childhood. It's wonderful to see all of America so that is a goal of ours.

That rant said, I understand the double-edged sword that is motherhood today. I was under contract to see a series I was working on to finish and worked full-time from the time my son was 6 months until he was 2 1/2 years old. They were very difficult days, but the cash we socked away being frugal is still seeing us through today.

Beautifully said, cubreporter. I guess you were as compelled as I was to compose a long reply. (; This is a subject that touches the heart of every mother, especially FR moms! Once again, I want to say I am fortunate and thankful to God I am able to be home. My heart goes out to other mothers that truly can't afford to stay at home. I pray for the same blessing to you that I am able to enjoy. When our '90's vehciles breakdown, I'll be working side-by-side with you to make that car payment. And I'll still be a conservative that understands the value of work. Sacrifice for family, not for "things" that make us supposedly "happy."
Huzzah to all moms, working out of the house and in the house!
Suz

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