Reports on Gender

Reports are listed in reverse chronological order.

Women, Men and the New Economics of Marriage
19 Jan 10 In the past, when relatively few wives worked, marriage enhanced the economic status of women more than that of men. Recently, however, the economic gains associated with marriage have been greater for men.

The Harried Life of the Working Mother
1 Oct 09 Women now make up almost half of the U.S. labor force, up from 38% in 1970. The public approves of this trend, but the change has come with a cost for many women -– particularly working mothers of young children, who feel the tug of family responsibility much more acutely than do working fathers, according to a Pew Social & Demographic Trends nationwide survey. Most working moms would prefer to work part time, but relatively few do. About four in ten working moms say they always feel rushed, compared with about a quarter of working dads and stay-at-home moms.

McDonald's and Starbucks: 43% Yin, 35% Yang
10 Feb 09 In the smackdown between Big Macs and caffe lattes, Americans manage to typecast themselves by just about every demographic and ideological characteristic under the sun.

Women Call the Shots at Home; Public Mixed on Gender Roles in Jobs: Gender and Power
25 Sep 08 They say it's a man’s world. But in the typical American family, it’s the woman who wears the pantsuit.

Revisiting the Mommy Wars : Politics, Gender and Parenthood
15 Sep 08 Who makes better candidates -- moms or dads? And more broadly, what impact do both the gender and parenting status of candidates have on their chances to win an election? An experimental survey by the Pew Research Center suggests that the answer depends, in no small part, on whether you are a Republican or a Democrat.

Men or Women: Who’s the Better Leader?: A Paradox in Public Attitudes
25 Aug 08 Americans rate women superior to men in terms of honesty, intelligence and other traits they value highly in leaders, according to a new national survey. But only 6% of respondents say that, overall, women make better political leaders than men.

Modern Marriage
18 Jul 07 What makes a marriage work? A new Pew survey finds that "sharing household chores" has moved way up on the charts.

Fewer Mothers Prefer Full-time Work: From 1997 to 2007
12 Jul 07 In the span of the past decade, full-time work outside the home has lost some of its appeal to mothers. This trend holds for both those who have such jobs and those who don't.

As Marriage and Parenthood Drift Apart, Public Is Concerned about Social Impact: Generation Gap in Values, Behaviors
1 Jul 07 At a time when nearly four-in-ten births in this country are to an unmarried mother, the public says unwed parenting is a big problem for society. But Americans are far less inclined now than a generation ago to say children are important to a successful marriage, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

Being Dad May Be Tougher These Days, but Working Moms are among Their Biggest Fans
13 Jun 07 Most people agree that it is harder to be a father now than it was 20 or 30 years ago, yet the verdict is mixed on how well today's dads measure up -- about half of the public says they're doing a worse job when compared with fathers a generation ago. But, a majority (56%) of women say today's dads are handling their fatherly duties as well or better than in the past.

Motherhood Today: Tougher Challenges, Less Success: Mom's Biggest Critics are Middle-Aged Women
2 May 07 From managing busy schedules to dealing with outside influences, mothers have their hands full these days - and middle-aged women are their sharpest critics. At the same time, fully 70% of the public says it's harder to be a mother today than it was 20 or 30 years ago; somewhat fewer (60%) say the same about being a father.