Job versus Homemaking

If they had the choice, the 51 percent majority of women aged 18 or older would prefer to have a job outside the home and a smaller 44 percent would choose to stay home and take care of the family. Among men, the figures are 76 percent and 22 percent, respectively, according to a Gallup survey.

The difference in attitudes by age is small. Among women aged 18 to 49, the 52 percent majority would prefer a job to homemaking. Among women aged 50 or older, 49 percent would prefer having a job--slightly greater than the 48 percent who would prefer homemaking.

By education, the difference in attitudes is bigger. Women with at least some college education would prefer a job to homemaking by 57 to 38 percent. Women with less education would prefer homemaking to a job by 53 to 41 percent.

Source: Gallup, In U.S., Half of Women Prefer a Job Outside the Home