ABSTRACT

The 1985 Virginia Slims American Women's Opinion Poll, conducted by the Roper Organization, has monitored and tracked Americans' opinions on social, familial, and personal issues since 1970. In the opinion of a growing majority of women, the most personally satisfying and interesting life is one that combines marriage, a career, and children. Men are less inclined today than they were in 1980 to think that women have equal chances in the workplace. Thus, those who are allegedly discriminated against believe that the situation is improving; those who are supposed to be doing the discriminating think it is getting worse. More and more, women's professional potential is obstructed not by discrimination in the workplace but rather by obligations outside it. Women may increasingly enjoy equal opportunities at work, but, compared to men, they have relatively little time to capitalize on those opportunities.