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Appendix 2

Attitudes towards mothers’ employment

Appendix Table 2– Actual and preferred employment patterns by full-time and part-time working, 1998,
based on mothers responses
  Both full time Mother part time Mother not employed
  Actual Preferred Actual Preferred Actual Preferred
Austria 19.1 35.6 28.2 39.9 48.1 3.9
Belgium 46.0 54.8 19.4 28.8 27.3 13.4
Finland 49.3 80.3 6.4 8.6 32.8 10.2
France 38.8 54.4 14.4 21.9 38.3 14.1
Germany 15.7 32.0 23.1 42.9 52.3 5.7
Greece 42.2 65.6 7.9 10.6 36.1 9.4
Ireland 30.8 31.1 18.7 42.3 37.0 8.1
Italy 34.9 50.4 11.8 27.7 43.3 10.7
Luxembourg 23.5 27.5 27.0 29.9 49.1 12.4
Netherlands 4.8 5.6 54.8 69.9 33.7 10.7
Portugal 74.5 84.4 4.7 8.0 18.7 4.0
Spain 25.6 59.7 6.3 11.6 56.9 19.7
Sweden 51.1 66.8 13.3 22.2 24.9 6.6
United Kingdom 24.9 21.3 31.9 41.8 32.8 13.3

Source: Table 2.1 OECD (2003).

Appendix Figure 3 – Proportion of respondents who strongly agree or agree that “A man's job is to earn money/a woman's job is to stay home and look after the family”
Appendix Figure 3 – Proportion of respondents who strongly agree or agree that “A man's job is to earn money/a woman's job is to stay home and look after the family”.
Source: International Social Survey Programme 1994 as reported in OECD (2003).

Appendix Figure 4 – Proportion of respondents who strongly agree or agree that “A preschool child is likely to suffer if his or her mother works”
Appendix Figure 4 – Proportion of respondents who strongly agree or agree that “A preschool child is likely to suffer if his or her mother works”.
Source: International Social Survey Programme 1994 as reported in OECD (2003)
Appendix Table 3– Attitudes about whether mothers ought to work when they have preschool children and
ideal mean hours of work for mothers, 1994-1995 (selected countries)
  Percentage preferring to be at home Ideal hours of work if working (mean)
Sweden 27 15.8
Netherlands 40 14.8
Canada 45 14.4
Norway 44 12.0
Ireland 52 11.4
United States 54 11.2
United Kingdom 62 8.7
Australia 64 7.8
New Zealand 71 6.3

Source: International Social Survey Programme Family-2 Survey, 1994-1995 as reported in Evans and Kelley (2002).

Note: When the full set of countries is considered, only Poland has a higher proportion of mothers preferring to be at home (74%). New Zealand has the lowest ideal hours for women of all the countries.

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