Sociology Now, Census Update

WHAT DOES AMERICA THINK? 453

should pay a much larger share of their income in taxes. Almost 44 percent said

the rich should pay a larger share. Thirty-one percent thought the current share

paid was adequate. When broken down by race, there was a significant difference

between Black and White respondents, with Black respondents being much more

likely (32 percent) to think that the rich should pay a much larger share of their

income in taxes.

CRITICAL THINKING|DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Why do you think the survey responses broke down by race the way they did?


2. How do you think responses might differ if they were broken down by social class?
   Go to the website and check for yourself. How did your prediction compare to the data?

13.2 Women and Work

This is actual survey data from the General Social Survey.

1. Do you approve or disapprove of a married woman earning money in business
   or industry if she has a husband capable of supporting her?In 1972, 65 per-
   cent of respondents approved of a married woman earning money. More women
   than men approved. In 1998, the numbers were a bit higher, with almost 77 per-
   cent of respondents approving and the gender difference in response disappearing.


2. It is much better for everyone involved if the man is the achiever outside the
   home and the woman takes care of the home and family.In 1977, 18 percent of
   respondents strongly agreed, with slightly more men than women agreeing. Only 34
   percent of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed. In 2004 the numbers
   shifted. Only 9 percent of respondents strongly agreed, with no gender difference,
   and 58 percent disagreed or strongly disagreed.

CRITICAL THINKING|DISCUSSION QUESTION

1. Why do you think a significant number of people still think a woman’s place is in her home?


2. What do you make of the lack of variance in the answers by gender?

3 Go to this website to look further at the data. You can run your own statistics and crosstabs
here: http://sda.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/hsda?harcsda+gss04

REFERENCES:Davis, James A., Tom W. Smith, and Peter V. Marsden. General Social Surveys
1972–2004: [Cumulative file] [Computer file]. 2nd ICPSR version. Chicago, IL: National Opinion Research
Center [producer], 2005; Storrs, CT: Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, University of Connecticut;
Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research; Berkeley, CA: Computer-Assisted
Survey Methods Program, University of California [distributors], 2005.