GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- The National Organization for Women meets in Philadelphia this weekend for its annual national conference, with organizers feeling under pressure to combat what they call the "anti-feminist Bush administration." The latest Gallup poll, conducted June 11-17, suggests that most women do not share this negative reaction to the new president: only 34% of women disapprove of the job George W. Bush is doing, similar to the 31% of men who disapprove. However, the survey -- which focuses on minority and gender rights -- does find that, among American women, there are pockets of dissatisfaction with the way society treats them, particularly in the area of employment. A substantial gender gap exists on this issue, with men far less likely than women to perceive job discrimination based on gender.
Overall, a majority of women say they are at least somewhat satisfied with the way society treats women: 13% are very satisfied and 48% are somewhat satisfied. However, more than one in three women, 37%, say they are dissatisfied with society's treatment of women, including 15% who are very dissatisfied.
Women are also generally satisfied with several specific aspects of their lives, including family life, education, physical health, their job, and the opportunities they feel they've had to succeed in life. Men and women have similar attitudes about their quality of life in most of these areas; however, the percentage of women who are very satisfied with their opportunities to succeed in life is somewhat lower: 53% of men, compared to 43% of women.
| Satisfaction With Life Dimensions Percentage "Very Satisfied" |
 |
| June 11-17, 2001 |
Younger women (aged 18-49), who may have reaped more benefits from the women's rights movement than older women have, are nevertheless no more likely to be satisfied with their opportunities in life: 42% of women aged 18-49 are satisfied, compared to 45% of those 50 and older.
Still, only a quarter of women consider themselves "feminists," the term widely associated with the women's rights movement in this country. Naturally, identification with feminism is relatively high among Democratic and liberal women, among whom 39% and 44%, respectively, accept the label. By contrast, only 11% of Republican women and 16% of conservative women see themselves this way. The term has no greater currency among the younger generation of women than among those 50 years of age or older (26% vs. 24%).
A Workplace Fairness Gender Gap
When it comes to employment, the new Gallup survey finds women to be critical of society -- with only 32% saying they believe men and women enjoy equal job opportunities in the United States and two-thirds disagreeing. A majority of men (53%), on the other hand, believe women do have equal job rights, creating a significant gender gap in perceptions about employment.
Employed women are even more negative about job opportunities than are women who do not work outside the home: only 28% of working women believe they have equal opportunities, compared to 36% of non-employed women.
Asked about their own experiences, only 37% of women say they never feel discriminated against in public life or employment because they are women. On the other extreme, 22% report that they feel victimized by gender discrimination on a fairly frequent basis: either daily (5% of all women), weekly (6%) or monthly (11%). Between these extremes, 20% say they feel discriminated against a few times a year, while 19% say it occurs less than once a year.
The Chicken or the Egg?
Do more women than men prefer to stay home because they are frustrated with the lack of fairness in employment, or do women engender different treatment because they are more likely to leave the job market to care for family? It's a delicate issue.
In either case, the differential pull of family on men and women is evident in the Gallup survey in the answers to this question:If you were free to do either, would you prefer to have a job outside the home, or would you prefer to stay at home and take care of the house and family?
Only 53% of women, compared to 73% of men, say they would prefer to work outside the home. Close to half of women, 45%, compared to just a quarter of men, say they'd rather stay home. This gender gap is just as evident when looking at employed men and women, with only 59% of working women -- compared to 71% of working men -- saying they would continue working if they had the option.
| Lifestyle Preferences |
 |
| June 11-17, 2001 |
The current results represent a fairly major change compared to the first time this question was asked, in 1974 (by the Roper Organization). At that time, a majority of women, 60%, preferred to stay home. Since the late 1970s, however, women have been more evenly divided in their preferences.
| Women: Job Outside of Home or Stay At Home? |
 |
Women's Overall Satisfaction With Life Is Comparable to Men's
Despite the notable concerns recorded about gender fairness, the new Gallup survey finds that most women are generally content with their lives, and to about the same degree that men are content. Nine in 10 women say they are satisfied with their lives, including 50% who are very satisfied and 40% who are somewhat satisfied. Among men, 55% are very satisfied and 36% are somewhat satisfied. Only 10% of women and 8% of men are dissatisfied to any degree.
Also, despite the equity concerns expressed by some women, the level of dissatisfaction among women is relatively mild compared to that felt by Hispanics and, even more so, by blacks. Whereas a majority of women are satisfied with their treatment by society and 37% are dissatisfied, the majority of blacks (60%) and Hispanics (54%) surveyed are dissatisfied with the way society treats people of their race or ethnic group.
Survey Methods
These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,375 adults, 18 years and older, including a main sample of 1,004 national adults and oversamples of blacks and Hispanics. Telephone interviews were conducted from June 11-17, 2001. An additional night of interviewing on June 18 was conducted for the black oversample. For results based on the total sample of 1,004 national adults, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points. Results based on the subsample of blacks include interviews with 264 black national adults and have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 7 percentage points. Results based on the subsample of Hispanics include interviews with 247 Hispanic national adults (including 59 conducted in Spanish) and have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 7 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
Overall, how satisfied are you with your life -- are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied?
|
Very |
Somewhat satisfied |
Somewhat dissatisfied |
Very |
No |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
|||||
|
National Adults |
53 |
38 |
6 |
2 |
1 |
|
Men |
55 |
36 |
6 |
2 |
1 |
|
Women |
50 |
40 |
7 |
3 |
* |
|
Non-Hispanic Whites |
54 |
38 |
5 |
3 |
* |
|
Blacks |
42 |
45 |
11 |
1 |
1 |
|
Hispanics |
49 |
39 |
9 |
3 |
* |
|
* Less than 0.5% |
Next we'd like to know how satisfied are you with each of the following aspects of your life -- very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied. How satisfied are you with -- [RANDOM ORDER]?
A. Your community as a place to live in
|
Very |
Somewhat satisfied |
Somewhat dissatisfied |
Very |
No |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
|||||
|
National Adults |
58 |
30 |
8 |
4 |
* |
|
Men |
59 |
29 |
8 |
3 |
1 |
|
Women |
57 |
30 |
8 |
5 |
* |
|
Non-Hispanic Whites |
61 |
29 |
6 |
4 |
* |
|
Blacks |
42 |
38 |
11 |
8 |
1 |
|
Hispanics |
53 |
31 |
12 |
4 |
* |
B. Your current housing
|
Very |
Somewhat satisfied |
Somewhat dissatisfied |
Very |
No |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
|||||
|
National Adults |
63 |
30 |
5 |
2 |
* |
|
Men |
63 |
32 |
4 |
* |
1 |
|
Women |
63 |
27 |
7 |
3 |
* |
|
Non-Hispanic Whites |
66 |
27 |
5 |
2 |
* |
|
Blacks |
41 |
43 |
11 |
5 |
* |
|
Hispanics |
45 |
36 |
11 |
8 |
* |
C. Your education
|
Very |
Somewhat satisfied |
Somewhat dissatisfied |
Very |
No |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
|||||
|
National Adults |
45 |
42 |
9 |
3 |
1 |
|
Men |
48 |
40 |
9 |
2 |
1 |
|
Women |
44 |
43 |
9 |
3 |
1 |
|
Non-Hispanic Whites |
48 |
40 |
8 |
3 |
1 |
|
Blacks |
38 |
44 |
15 |
3 |
0 |
|
Hispanics |
38 |
41 |
13 |
7 |
1 |
D. Your family life
|
Very |
Somewhat satisfied |
Somewhat dissatisfied |
Very |
No |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
|||||
|
National Adults |
69 |
25 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
Men |
72 |
25 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Women |
67 |
25 |
4 |
3 |
1 |
|
Non-Hispanic Whites |
72 |
22 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
Blacks |
59 |
32 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
|
Hispanics |
73 |
21 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
E. Your financial situation
|
Very |
Somewhat satisfied |
Somewhat dissatisfied |
Very |
No |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
|||||
|
National Adults |
26 |
51 |
15 |
7 |
1 |
|
Men |
28 |
52 |
15 |
5 |
* |
|
Women |
25 |
51 |
14 |
10 |
* |
|
Non-Hispanic Whites |
29 |
50 |
14 |
7 |
* |
|
Blacks |
15 |
47 |
20 |
17 |
1 |
|
Hispanics |
23 |
47 |
17 |
13 |
* |
F. Your personal health
|
Very |
Somewhat satisfied |
Somewhat dissatisfied |
Very |
No |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
|||||
|
National Adults |
54 |
35 |
6 |
5 |
* |
|
Men |
57 |
34 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
|
Women |
52 |
35 |
7 |
6 |
* |
|
Non-Hispanic Whites |
54 |
34 |
7 |
5 |
* |
|
Blacks |
54 |
35 |
7 |
3 |
1 |
|
Hispanics |
57 |
30 |
8 |
5 |
0 |
G. Your safety from physical harm or violence
|
Very |
Somewhat satisfied |
Somewhat dissatisfied |
Very |
No |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
|||||
|
National Adults |
55 |
33 |
7 |
4 |
1 |
|
Men |
61 |
31 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
|
Women |
50 |
35 |
9 |
6 |
* |
|
Non-Hispanic Whites |
59 |
31 |
7 |
3 |
* |
|
Blacks |
33 |
45 |
10 |
11 |
1 |
|
Hispanics |
47 |
32 |
12 |
8 |
1 |
H. The opportunities you have had to succeed in life
|
Very |
Somewhat satisfied |
Somewhat dissatisfied |
Very |
No |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
|||||
|
National Adults |
48 |
38 |
10 |
3 |
1 |
|
Men |
53 |
36 |
8 |
2 |
1 |
|
Women |
43 |
40 |
11 |
4 |
2 |
|
Non-Hispanic Whites |
49 |
37 |
10 |
3 |
1 |
|
Blacks |
40 |
43 |
10 |
6 |
1 |
|
Hispanics |
44 |
36 |
10 |
8 |
2 |
I. Your job, or the work you do
|
Very |
Somewhat satisfied |
Somewhat dissatisfied |
Very |
No |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
|
2001 Jun 11-17^ |
||||||
|
National Adults |
50 |
39 |
7 |
4 |
0 |
|
|
Men |
50 |
39 |
6 |
5 |
0 |
|
|
Women |
50 |
38 |
8 |
4 |
0 |
|
|
Non-Hispanic Whites |
51 |
37 |
7 |
5 |
0 |
|
|
Blacks |
36 |
47 |
9 |
7 |
1 |
|
|
Hispanics |
51 |
35 |
7 |
7 |
0 |
|
|
^ |
BASED ON FULL- OR PART-TIME EMPLOYED NATIONAL ADULTS: N=646; ±4 PCT. PTS. |
|||||
|
BASED ON FULL- OR PART-TIME EMPLOYED NATIONAL ADULT MEN: N=343; ±6 PCT. PTS. |
||||||
|
BASED ON FULL- OR PART-TIME EMPLOYED NATIONAL ADULT WOMEN: N=303; ±6 PCT. PTS. |
||||||
|
BASED ON FULL- OR PART-TIME EMPLOYED NON-HISPANIC WHITES: N=528; ±5 PCT. PTS. |
||||||
|
BASED ON FULL- OR PART-TIME EMPLOYED BLACKS: N=169; ±9 PCT. PTS. |
||||||
|
BASED ON FULL- OR PART-TIME EMPLOYED HISPANICS: N=153; ±9 PCT. PTS. |
||||||
|
* Less than 0.5% |
||||||
SATISFACTION SUMMARY TABLE (BASED ON "VERY SATISFIED")
|
|
|
|
|
Non-Hispanic Whites |
|
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
Family life |
69 |
72 |
67 |
72 |
59 |
73 |
|
Current housing |
63 |
63 |
63 |
66 |
41 |
45 |
|
Community as a place to live in |
58 |
59 |
57 |
61 |
42 |
53 |
|
Safety from physical harm/violence |
55 |
61 |
50 |
59 |
33 |
47 |
|
Personal health |
54 |
57 |
52 |
54 |
54 |
57 |
|
Job/work |
50 |
50 |
50 |
51 |
36 |
51 |
|
Opportunities to succeed in life |
48 |
53 |
43 |
49 |
40 |
44 |
|
Education |
45 |
48 |
44 |
48 |
38 |
38 |
|
Financial situation |
26 |
28 |
25 |
29 |
15 |
23 |
| (NA) National Adults | ||||||
Next we'd like to know how you feel about the way various groups in society are treated. For each of the following groups please say whether you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied with the way they are treated. How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?
Women
|
Very |
Somewhat satisfied |
Somewhat dissatisfied |
Very |
No |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
|||||
|
National Adults |
24 |
46 |
18 |
11 |
1 |
|
Men |
35 |
45 |
13 |
6 |
1 |
|
Women |
13 |
48 |
22 |
15 |
2 |
|
Non-Hispanic Whites |
24 |
49 |
17 |
9 |
1 |
|
Blacks |
14 |
33 |
31 |
20 |
2 |
|
Hispanics |
27 |
33 |
18 |
20 |
2 |
If you were free to do either, would you prefer to have a job outside the home, or would you prefer to stay at home and take care of the house and family?
|
Outside home |
Stay home |
BOTH (vol.) |
No opinion |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
||||
|
National Adults |
62 |
35 |
2 |
1 |
|
Men |
73 |
24 |
2 |
1 |
|
Women |
53 |
45 |
2 |
* |
|
Non-Hispanic Whites |
61 |
36 |
2 |
1 |
|
Blacks |
69 |
29 |
2 |
* |
|
Hispanics |
58 |
40 |
2 |
* |
NATIONAL ADULT AND GENDER TREND
|
Outside home |
Stay home |
BOTH (vol.) |
No opinion |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
|
National Adults |
|||||
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
62 |
35 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
1997 Sep 18-20 ^ |
62 |
30 |
5 |
3 |
|
|
1996 Apr 13-16 † |
56 |
37 |
5 |
2 |
|
|
1994 Nov 12-Dec 3 ‡ |
62 |
31 |
-- |
7 |
|
|
1992 Oct 2-4 ♠ |
56 |
37 |
5 |
2 |
|
|
1989 Jul 25-30 ♠ |
35 |
51 |
12 |
2 |
|
|
1984 Aug 25-30 † |
72 |
23 |
-- |
5 |
|
|
1983 Nov 11-20 ♣ |
58 |
35 |
3 |
4 |
|
|
Men |
|||||
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
73 |
24 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
1997 Sep 18-20 ^ |
74 |
17 |
5 |
4 |
|
|
1994 Nov 12-Dec 3 ‡ |
78 |
15 |
-- |
7 |
|
|
1992 Oct 2-4 ^ |
72 |
21 |
5 |
2 |
|
|
1989 Jun 22-Aug 12 ‡ |
81 |
13 |
-- |
6 |
|
|
1985 Mar 1-30 ‡ |
86 |
12 |
-- |
2 |
|
|
1983 Nov 11-20 ♣ |
72 |
21 |
1 |
6 |
|
|
Women |
|||||
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
53 |
45 |
2 |
* |
|
|
1997 Sep 18-20 ^ |
50 |
42 |
6 |
2 |
|
|
1994 Nov 12-Dec 3 ‡ |
46 |
47 |
-- |
7 |
|
|
1992 Oct 2-4 ^ |
42 |
51 |
5 |
2 |
|
|
1989 Jul 22-Aug 12 ‡ |
42 |
51 |
-- |
7 |
|
|
1985 Mar 1-30 ‡ |
51 |
45 |
-- |
4 |
|
|
1983 Nov 11-20 ♣ |
45 |
47 |
5 |
3 |
|
|
1982 Jun 26-28 ^ |
48 |
47 |
-- |
5 |
|
|
1979 Oct 6-20 ‡ |
46 |
51 |
-- |
3 |
|
|
1978 Jan 7-21 ‡ |
49 |
45 |
-- |
6 |
|
|
1974 Apr ‡ |
36 |
60 |
-- |
4 |
|
|
^ |
CBS News Poll |
||||
|
† |
Los Angeles Times Poll |
||||
|
‡ |
Roper Organization Poll |
||||
|
♠ |
CBS News/New York Times Poll |
||||
|
♣ |
New York Times |
||||
|
(vol.) Volunteered response |
|||||
|
* Less than 0.5% |
|||||
Do you feel that women in this country have equal job
opportunities with men, or not?
|
Yes |
No |
No opinion |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
|||
|
National Adults |
42 |
57 |
1 |
|
Men |
53 |
46 |
1 |
|
Women |
32 |
67 |
1 |
|
Non-Hispanic Whites |
43 |
56 |
1 |
|
Blacks |
35 |
64 |
1 |
|
Hispanics |
51 |
45 |
4 |
NATIONAL ADULT AND GENDER TREND
|
Yes |
No |
No opinion |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
|
|
National Adults |
|||
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
42 |
57 |
1 |
|
1995 Sep 14-17 |
34 |
64 |
2 |
|
1993 Aug 23-25 |
39 |
60 |
1 |
|
1989 Dec 18-21 |
42 |
56 |
2 |
|
1987 Jan 26-Feb 5 |
48 |
46 |
6 |
|
1976 Jan |
48 |
48 |
4 |
|
Men |
|||
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
53 |
46 |
1 |
|
1995 Sep 14-17 |
38 |
59 |
3 |
|
1993 Aug 23-25 |
50 |
50 |
* |
|
1989 Dec 18-21 |
46 |
52 |
2 |
|
Women |
|||
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
32 |
67 |
1 |
|
1995 Sep 14-17 |
30 |
69 |
3 |
|
1993 Aug 23-25 |
30 |
69 |
1 |
|
1989 Dec 18-21 |
37 |
60 |
3 |
| * Less than 0.5% | |||
Do you feel that racial minorities in this country have equal job opportunities with Non-Hispanic Whites, or not?
|
Yes |
No |
No opinion |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
||
|
2001 Jun 12-17 ^ |
||||
|
National Adults |
48 |
50 |
2 |
|
|
Men |
51 |
48 |
1 |
|
|
Women |
45 |
52 |
3 |
|
|
Non-Hispanic Whites |
53 |
45 |
2 |
|
|
Blacks |
18 |
79 |
3 |
|
|
Hispanics |
46 |
51 |
3 |
|
|
^ |
BASED ON NATIONAL ADULTS INTERVIEWED JUNE 12-17: N=849; ±4 PCT. PTS. |
|||
|
BASED ON NATIONAL ADULT MEN INTERVIEWED JUNE 12-17: N=402; ±5 PCT. PTS. |
||||
|
BASED ON NATIONAL ADULT WOMEN INTERVIEWED JUNE 12-17: N=447; ±5 PCT. PTS. |
||||
|
BASED ON NON-HISPANIC WHITES INTERVIEWED JUNE 12-17: N=692; ±4 PCT. PTS. |
||||
|
BASED ON BLACKS INTERVIEWED JUNE 12-17: N=241; ±7 PCT. PTS. |
||||
|
BASED ON HISPANICS INTERVIEWED JUNE 12-17: N=212; ±7 PCT. PTS. |
||||
Do you consider yourself a feminist, or not?
|
|
|
SOMETIMES/ |
No |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
||||
|
National Adults |
23 |
73 |
-- |
4 |
|
Men |
20 |
75 |
-- |
5 |
|
Women |
25 |
72 |
-- |
3 |
|
Non-Hispanic Whites |
22 |
74 |
-- |
4 |
|
Blacks |
20 |
74 |
-- |
6 |
|
Hispanics |
40 |
50 |
-- |
10 |
NATIONAL ADULT TREND
|
|
|
SOMETIMES/ |
No |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
National Adults |
||||
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
23 |
73 |
-- |
4 |
|
1992 Dec 17-18 ^ |
33 |
61 |
-- |
7 |
|
Women |
||||
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
25 |
72 |
-- |
3 |
|
1999 Feb 3-7 † |
26 |
67 |
4 |
3 |
|
^ Gallup/Newsweek poll |
||||
|
† Based on USA Today/Gallup Women's poll |
||||
|
(vol.) Volunteered response |
||||
Next we have a question about your own experiences as woman. How often do you feel discriminated against in public life or employment because you are a woman -- [ROTATED: every day, every week, about once a month, a few times a year, less than once a year, (or) never]?
|
|
|
|
|
Less than once a year |
|
|
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
|
2001 Jun 11-17^ |
||||||||
|
Women |
5 |
6 |
11 |
20 |
19 |
37 |
2 |
|
|
White women |
5 |
6 |
12 |
19 |
19 |
37 |
2 |
|
|
Black women |
6 |
8 |
6 |
23 |
19 |
36 |
2 |
|
|
Hispanic women |
5 |
14 |
8 |
21 |
10 |
40 |
2 |
|
|
^ |
BASED ON NATIONAL ADULT WOMEN: N=523; ±5 PCT. PTS. |
|||||||
|
BASED ON NON-HISPANIC WHITE WOMEN: N=434; ±5 PCT. PTS. |
||||||||
|
BASED ON BLACK WOMEN: N=150; ±9 PCT. PTS. |
||||||||
|
BASED ON HISPANIC WOMEN: N=122; ±10 PCT. PTS. |
||||||||
