Sex roles

de Roger H. Davidson, Sar A. Levitan, Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations (University of Michigan--Wayne State University)

This collection of opinion pieces, first published in major American newspapers, examines the dramatic change in personal life-styles and the traditional sex-roles that took place during the 1970s. These changes cut across generations, backgrounds and beliefs, creating a new social structure in the U.S. - for better or worse. Although still evolving, this change has shaken the family as an institution and has been the basis of controversial campaigns for equality. Unintended byproducts of these social changes are soaring divorce rates, declining birth rates, ambiguous relationships, singles and single-parent families, working mothers, homosexuals, equal-rights struggles as well as legal barriers and patterned attitudes-both of traditionalists and reformers. There is little doubt, however, that things will ever be the same again. The focus on an individual's "self-realization" and "right to choose" has resulted in the shifting of conventional sex roles which has shocked, angered and amused American society at large. Society now must face how much it can or will change. Editorials included in this volume were selected on a purely representative basis and no attempt was made to present an even point of view.