Abstract
Evidence of changes in gender typing at midlife was empirically tested in a secondary analysis of the “Quality of American Life” study. Several specific hypotheses were tested. The study looked for indications of increasing femininity and/or decreasing masculinity in middle-aged men, and for decreasing femininity and/or increasing masculinity in middle-aged women. In bivariate analyses and in multiple regression analyses, little empirical support was found for role reversal or androgyny at midlife in this nationally representative sample. Satisfaction with family life was the best predictor of overall life satisfaction for men and women of all ages. Race rather than gender and sex role identity interacted with age to predict life satisfaction. Life satisfaction changed little for whites from young adulthood to late middle age, but life satisfaction increased for blacks who were least satisfied with their lives as young adults.
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The data and tabulations utilized in this article were made available through the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research. The data were originally collected by Angus Campbell and Philip E. Converse. Neither the original source or collectors of the data nor the Consortium bear any responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here.
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Carlson, B.E., Videka-Sherman, L. An empirical test of androgyny in the middle years: Evidence from a national survey. Sex Roles 23, 305–324 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00290051
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00290051