Traditionally, work and family roles have been less compatible for women than for men. Census data are used to describe changes in the work-family connection between 1970 and 1980 for highly educated men and women, aged 30 to 39. The analyses reveal that despite educational and occupational advances for women during the 1970s, gender differences in the connection between work and family experiences remained substantial over the decade. Marriage and parenting continue to be positively associated with work involvement and rewards for men, but are related to persistent employment disadvantages for women. The traditional pattern of men marrying less educated women, which has remained the norm across the 20th century, is offered as one explanation for this enduring gender gap in work-family connections.
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