European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 24, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Equality \jl7vrtii"i o4-Illwomen still perceive barriers bylis Belkin new York times a Quarter Century allot the Start of the women s rights movement. American women say that despite their Gams it is Stilla Man s  they have seen a closing of the Gap Between men and women both in the workplace and at Home a new York times poll shows that most women say the goals of the women s movement have not been Lully realized and Many say the gains Havo come at Loo High a Price. A in. While generally expressing support Lor women s Pursuit of Equality said there had been More changes than women saw. With loss Cost Lov Omen than women reported they suggested they had overcome sexism More thoroughly than women acknowledged and they saw loss need Lor further changes than women did. The Basic goal of the women s movement in the United Stales was to eliminate the barriers that Kepi women irom achieving As much As men. But the poll Lound thai 56 percent of women say american society has not changed enough to allow women to compete with men on an equal basis a View held by Only 49 percent of men. Moreover the poll found Sharp differences Between a Omen of different Ages and races and Between men and women of the same age reflecting a dissonance and potential tension thai can rub Ordinary life raw. Sometimes i think Rny husband is talking another language said Alison Mellin in a follow up interview to thinks he s being sympathetic and All that but he Luil does t get it " Mellin is 36 and works in a los Angeles lower shop some men like Jim Colmer 32. A cleaning supplies Mil Osman from Detroit say women Fauio keep problems in Crsp Clive. I have some women intends who have children and that s All in cry talk about said Colmer. Who is single and childless the women Aren t trying to so Call balance anything thai men Haven t balanced for years and years they just complain  particularly confused and frustrated Are Iho women who came of age at the height of the women s movement the baby Boomers Between Iho Ages of 30 and 44 this is a generation of women who became adults against the background of debates on such questions As economic equity and reproductive Freedom and those debates shaped their thinking. Sway two percent of the a Omen in thai age group agreed with the statement most men Are willing to let women gel ahead but Only if women do All the housework at Home " the poll conducted june 20 to 25 with a few questions repeated july 25 to 30 to Check Lor the effect of the supremo court s decision on abortion shows that women generally identify their problems in the same general terms As they have at least since Betty of Nedan s 1963 Book Tio feminine mystique helped to Start the women s movement. Problems relating to Equality on the Job were often filed by women As the most important ones they laced with 23 percent of women mention my them in the second Survey in that Survey 8 percent of women called abortion the most important Issue before them but its significance May be magnified As women s organizations turn their energies to it. But the poll and follow up interviews also showed nearly As Large a set of Gullier and More specific concerns about How to balance family life and work. Nineteen percent cited these problems As most important. These concerns Cut across racial and economic lines far More clearly than some of the grander philosophical issues of the 1960s and 1970s. Today s questions Are who lakes care of the children Why do working women still do More of the housework How do you Deal with sexism that is Subtle rather than overt despite gains in women Equality Over the past 25 years women still face the problems of balancing Home family and career with Little empathy from their male counterparts. Here Are some of the other main findings of the poll conducted in june of 1,025 women and 472 men it was intended to measure How society views women and How women View themselves. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus three percentage Points Lor women and five for men. Thirty three percent of the women and 37 percent of the men said children s needs Are slighted the most when a woman combines a Job with marriage and motherhood. Twenty six percent of women and 20 percent of men. Said the marriage was slighted the most but Only 6 percent of women and men said the woman s Job suffered the most. Many others refused to choose and Only 17 percent of women and i8 percent of men said nothing suffered. When asked whether women have Given up too much in Exchange for gains in the workplace almost Hall of All women said yes As did a third of Iho men. Most women said that what they gave up is Lime with their children and Quality of their family life. Women still do most of the work at Homo. But perhaps reflecting vestiges of traditional attitudes. 61 percent of them still say that what then husbands do is their Lair  even among women with full time jobs and children at Home. 40 percent say their husbands do their fair share although 42 percent say the husbands do less substantial majorities of married women say they do most of the food shopping cooking House cleaning Bill paying and child care whether they work outside the Home or not. Men agree that their spouses do More around the House and about half concede that women do More than their fair share of household chores. While three fifths of women say men s attitudes toward women have improved in the last two decades Only half the women Felt thai Way six years ago the improvement perceived is limited. Fifty three percent of women say most of the men they know think they Are belter than women. Men Are even More Likely to say men s views of women have improved but 48 percent of them say most men they know consider themselves Superior to a Omen women working full Lime Are less Likely than men to Call their work a career As opposed to a Job. But among 18 to 29-year-Olds, women Are at least As Likely As men to Call their work a career. The optimism of women 18-29 was shown frequently. Only half of them agreed that men still run almost everything and usually Don t include women when important decisions Are made a View held by solid majorities of older women. And about a Quarter of the younger women far More than in older groups said nothing is slighted when a woman combines work marriage and children. But this group still said it supported a Strong women s movement to push for changes that Benefit  seventy one percent of them said the United slates needed one. The portrait that emerges from the poll includes a Good amount of irritation Felt by women toward men. Women say men s Altitude s have not changed nearly enough. A woman s place views of two generations Al adults percentage top wite who a 60% for themselves they prefer to Combine marriage and children and a career. 52 solely has not changed enough to allow women to compete with men on an even basis. 50 most men they know think they Are better than women. 48 men Are willing to Tot women let ahead but Only h women Tel do All the housework at Home. 37 All things considered there Are More advantages in being Man in America today. 63 men s altitudes toward women have changed for the better in the past 20 years. 59 the United states continues to need a Strong women movement to push for changes that Benefit women. Based on interviews with 1,026 women and 472 men Natton mfr. Conducted by a phone june 20-25. 71 Page 16 the stars and stripes sunday september 24, 1989