42
fore try to stay together. These results must be read in the light of the
enduring role of Catholicism in these two countries. This contributed to
a strong sanctioning of divorce: in fact, in Portugal, it was not even pos-
sible for those married in the Catholic Church until 1975. By contrast,
the Swiss are much more liberal and place a higher premium on individ-
ual well-being within a marriage than on the effects of divorce on chil-
dren. Regardless of country, men are always more likely to consider that
divorce will have adverse consequences for children.
Previously we established that a gendered division of paid and unpaid
work according to traditional models is only clearly supported by
Lithuanians. We might expect that single parenthood and role reversal
concerning child rearing would reveal similar lines of disagreement. To
assess such a possibility, we asked if a man alone can bring up a child just
as well as a woman alone. The results are somewhat surprising. Even
though the Lithuanians favoured traditional gender role ascription, the
majority also believes men to be just as capable of raising children on
their own. This position is also prevalent among both Swiss cohorts. The
Portuguese, on the other hand, are the least likely to support this state-
ment. However, there is a sharp contrast between Portuguese generations,
with the younger cohort being much more favourable than the older one
(50.6% vs. 27.3%). On gender differences, in Lithuania and Portugal
men are more likely to regard themselves as being equally capable of rais-
ing a child on their own, whereas in Switzerland this idea is mostly
advanced by women. Such a difference could be interpreted as a claim by
Swiss women for greater male participation in childcare.
In connection with non-traditional family arrangements, we investi-
gated attitudes to the right of gay and lesbian individuals to marry and
have children. Specifically, we asked the question: Homosexual and lesbian
couples should have the same rights as other couples, including the right of
adoption. While agreement regarding this statement is not found in any
country, views still look very contrasting. Lithuanians of both cohorts
staunchly oppose equal rights for sexual minorities. Conversely, the Swiss
tend to be more in favour and the Portuguese are more divided.
Nonetheless, there are sharp generational contrasts among both the Swiss
and the Portuguese, with younger cohorts much more favourable (Swiss:
42.5% vs. 29.1%; Portuguese: 37.0% vs. 12.9%). Concerning gender
V. Ramos et al.