Two Generations of College-Educated Women: The Post-parental Phase of the Life Cycle, 1957-1979

This study explored the experiences of women in the postparental phase of the life cycle, with a view toward understanding how factors such as education, work, family relationships, and self-concept contribute to adaptation and coping. In the first wave (1957) of this longitudinal study, extensive interviews were conducted with 25 women, aged 47 to 69. Respondents were recruited from alumnae, civic, and political groups in the suburban New York City area. They all met the following criteria: had at least a bachelor's degree; lived in a family with mother and father present; never worked full-time permanently while raising children; and had no children living at home for at least one year prior to the interview. The interview included a variety of demographic and open-ended questions which probed participants' responses to and means of coping with departure of children from the home, expectations and plans concerning work, reactions to menopause and aging, health issues, self-image, and relationships with family members and friends. The second wave of data collection (1978-1979) included both a follow-up of 19 of the original 25 respondents who were still living, and a replication sample of 30 additional women who met the selection criteria for the original sample. Two in-depth interviews and a self-administered questionnaire were used to obtain information on attitudes toward the women's movement, present activities and future plans (regarding continuing education, volunteer experiences, work and retirement, etc.), physical and emotional well being, coping styles, and sources and levels of satisfaction. Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) picture cues were included in the assessment. The Murray Archive holds additional analogue materials for this study (paper data from both waves of the study). If you would like to access this material, please apply to use the data