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Men Struggling With Place in Home
by Jack Loechner, Tuesday, June 3, 2014 6:15 AM
According to a new study by Insights in Marketing, while the majority of women are returning to the workplace, and more men are choosing to stay home with the family, many men are facing the same
stigmas and struggles that women have faced for years. Men Feeling More Torn
Between Work & Family (“I Feel Torn Between Work & Family”)
Very Like/Like Me No Children in HH Women
14% Men 22%
Any Children Under 18 Women 26% Men 35%
Source: InsightsInMarketing, May 2014 "Our latest study has revealed some important findings
that show just how wrong our gender stereotypes are," said Tinesha Craig, division director for Insights in Marketing. "… society truly accepts, and even expects women to be a part of the
workforce. Men are… struggling now… to find… balance between work and home… society has… viewed men as only caring about career… (the study) shows that
what's also important to men is family and their role as provider..." Insights in Marketing’s latest research on gender roles uncovered the following key insights:
- Traditional gender roles are seen as outdated by the majority of Americans
- 50 years of women’s liberation has led to a shift in societal expectations for women.
- Despite
this shift, there is still an expectation that a man’s primary duty is to financially provide for his family
- The pressure to embrace the traditional male gender role is more male
driven than female driven
- Men seem to be internalizing the tensions of finding great emotional fulfillment from home and family life and lesser fulfillment from their personal life
- Men are now facing the same agonizing decisions and tensions that women face, but these decisions are not driven by societal pressure, but by internal struggles with personal beliefs
The research revealed that 53% of people in the U.S. believe that traditional ideas of masculinity and femininity no longer apply in today's society, and that belief is shared equally by both
genders. Today, about 25% of people still believe that a woman's primary duty revolves around taking care of her home and family, and 71% of mothers are employed (68% of those are married). That
number has dramatically increased from 37% of moms working in 1968. That work-family balance has also led to an increase in stress in women: 51% of women report feeling stressed, vs. 40% of men.
Women More Readily Admit They are Stressed (“I see myself as Stressed”)
Strongly/Somewhat Agree
No Children in HHAny Children Under 18
Women 49% 55% Men
40% 40%
Source: InsightsInMarketing, May
2014 When it comes to the roles of men, 49% of people say they believe that a man's primary duty is to financially provide for the family, but it's men
putting the most pressure on themselves, says the report. 57% of men feel that way, compared to 41% of women.
Women are No Longer Expected to be Fulltime Caretakers, but Men are Still Expected to Financially Provide for Their Families % Strongly/Somewhat Agree
Women Men A man's primary
duty is to financially provide for his family 41% 57%
A woman's primary duty is to be a full-time caretaker for her family 26% 22%
Source: InsightsInMarketing, May 2014
Additional in depth research showed that men care more about their family than society has often credited them. In fact, 75% of men stated that their first obligation is to their home and family,
and only 48% feel that career gives their life purpose.
The Majority of Men And Women Agree
That Their Obligations Are to Their Home. My first obligation is to my home and family (strongly/somewhat agree)
Women 81%
Men 75% My career gives my life purpose (strongly/somewhat agree)
Women 40%
Men 48
%Source: InsightsInMarketing,
May 2014 The survey also found that:
- 80% of women believe that parents are completely responsible for raising a child, compared with 76% of
men
- 55% of women and 30% of men say they are completely responsible for child care
- 60% of men are more likely to say they share responsibility with someone else
- Over 70%
of men and women agree that child care responsibilities have not changed much in the past year
To learn more about this study and others, please visit
here.