During the past 40 years, demographic trends have indicated extraordinary changes in women's roles, as well as gradual increases in the size of new single-family houses. Whereas current literature suggests that the form of most built environments has not changed significantly and still reflects traditional gender ideology, a content analysis of prototypical house plans featured in a popular shelter magazine between 1945 and 1985 indicates that statistically significant changes in spatial allocation and functional emphasis are occurring. This article focuses on the spatial configuration of new single-family houses and raises the hypothesis that certain environmental changes may be supportive of shifting gender patterns.
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