PERSPECTIVES*

Abstract A 1973readministration of sex role itemsused by Kammeyerin 1961 showsa dramatic shift away from traditional attitudes toward the female sex role among college women. Cross-sectional analyses of 1973 data on both sexes reveals that attitudes to-ward the female sex role are significantly related to personal participation in protestac-tivities. Thegreaterstrength of this relationship amongwomenthanamong mensupports previousdiscussions of the special impact offeminist activism onthe attitudesof college women. American campuses have settled into an unexpected peace after a turbulent decade of student activism. But this outward calm should not be taken as a signal of return to the status quo of the 1950s: the protest movement has left its mark on the attitudes and behavior of contemporary youths. Although the full and lasti ng impact of the student protest movement wi II not be known for years, we can at least begin to ask: What has changed? This paper inquires about the effect of student activism in a critical sphere of social life, an effect which might have far-reaching implications: transformation of attitudes toward the female sex role. PATTERNS OF CHANGE IN SEX ROLE ATTITUDES The past decade witnessed a marked departure from traditional sex role at-titudes among young American women. Or did it? This common assumption presently seems to be more an optimistic article of faith than a verified sociological fact. To date, most statements about recent changes in female sex role attitudes have been impressionistic in nature. The few empirical studies have provided little evidence of change. Epstei nand Bronzaft compared a 1970 sample of freshmen women to a 1965 sample on a single question relating to their plans "fifteen years from now. " A sl ightly higher proportion of the 1970 sample expected to be a "married career woman with chi Idren " (48 % vs. 42%). Although the authors interpret this difference as "a strong trend away from the 'traditional ' and towards the 'mod-ern ' role of women among students " (672), their data do not justify this dramatic 'Revised version of a paper, presented with Rebecca R. Inmon,at the annual meeting o