Social acceptance of working mothers has increased dramatically in the last several decades, according to a study done at San Diego State University.
The research, which included survey responses from 600,000 people between 1976 and 2013, found that millennials are significantly more accepting of mothers who work than previous generations.
Only 22 percent of 12th graders surveyed in the last five years thought young children would suffer if their mother worked, down from 34 percent in the 1990s and 59 percent in the 1970s, according to the study.
That trend was consistent among older adults; only 35 percent of them surveyed in 2012 thought having a mom who worked would be detrimental. That’s compared to 68 percent of U.S. adults surveyed in 1977 and 42 percent in 1998.
The study also found a growing acceptance of men and women holding the same roles in the workplace and in child rearing.
One surprising result of the survey: There appears to be a growing, though small, percentage of millennials who believe in a patriarchal marriage. Seventeen percent of millennials surveyed in the 2010s said the husband should make the important family decisions, up from 14 percent in the 1990s.
The researchers said in a news release that while millennials may see marriage as for only certain types of people, some believe that those married should abide by more rigid gender roles.
