Attitudes toward traditional and nontraditional parents

Three studies investigated attitudes toward traditional parents (stay-at-homemothers and employed fathers) and nontra-ditional parents (stay-at-home fathers and employed mothers) among adult men and women. Using a between-subjects design, Study 1 found that nontraditional parents were liked significantly less than traditional parents. Participants also believed that stay-at-home fathers were not regarded highly by others. Study 2 replicated these results using a within-subjects design, suggesting that participants felt little compunction about expressing negative attitudes toward nontraditional parents. Study 3 further found that employed mothers were less disliked when described as working out of financial necessity rather than for personal fulfillment. Both male and female participants reported negative evalu-ations of employed mothers and stay-at-home fathers, suggesting that prescriptive gender role stereotypes represent a consensual ideology shared by men and women. For the past three decades, conservatives have argued that feminism has caused society to devalue women’s tradi-tional roles, such as homemaking and caring for children (Robertson, 2000; Schlafly, 2003).Recently, somehave even asserted that society has stigmatized stay-at-home mothers because they are not pursuing careers outside the home