Gender Role Attitudes

“Gender role attitudes” refer to views held by individuals regarding the roles men and women should play in society. It is a term most often used with respect to the distinction between paid and unpaid work. When individuals agree that a traditional division of labor between men and women – with men in the role of breadwinner and women in the role of homemaker – is advisable, they are considered to have traditional gender role attitudes. This is independent of their own behavior. When they do not agree with such a division of labor and instead want a more equal division of labor, they are considered to have egalitarian or modern gender role attitudes.