Effects of maternal employment on sex role orientation of adolescents.

Sex role orientation was determined for 352 high school seniors in Plano, Texas. Using maternal employment status as the independent variable, students were divided into groups according to full-time employed mothers or full-time homemaker mothers. Results of the three-part instrument indicated that adolescents of employed mothers had a more liberal sex role orientation and attitude toward division of household tasks than adolescents of homemaker mothers. Mean scores from two sections of the instrument indicated nontraditional attitudes. Results indicated that maternal happiness with employment did not affect male and female sex role orientation.