In brief...: Support for mothers in work wanes

Aug 8 2008

Support for gender equality appears to have peaked amid "mounting concern" women's careers progress at the expense of family life, according to a new report.

A Cambridge University study found "growing sympathy" for the old-fashioned view a woman's place was in the home rather than in the office.

Professor Jacqueline Scott, from the university's department of sociology, said: "The notion that there has been a steady increase in favour of women taking an equal role in the workplace and away from their traditional role in the home is clearly a myth. Instead, there is clear evidence women's changing role is viewed as having costs both for the woman and the family."

The study of attitudes in the UK, the United States and the former Federal Republic of Germany over the past 20 years suggested support for gender equality in this country may have hit a high point during the 1990s.

For example more than 50 per cent of British women and 51 per cent of men believed family life would not suffer if a woman went to work. Since then, the figure has fallen to 46 per cent of women and 42 per cent of men.