General Social Survey: Data Analysis, Research Paper Example

Under the data for “controversial social issues” I chose the variable Mother working doesn’t hurt children, listed under Working Mothers. Respondents were asked to respond to the statement, “A working mother can establish just as warm and secure a relationship with her children as a mother who does not work,” and their responses were recorded and classified according to race and gender. White and black males and females, age 18 – 45 were invited to participate in the survey. One of four responses was possible for each question: strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree. Overall, females of both races (44.2%) were more likely to choose a response of “agree” over “disagree” (17.7%). Males (47.2%), as well, were more likely to choose a response of “agree” over one of “disagree” (29.4%). Females were more likely to strongly agree (32.6%) than males (16.6%) and males (6.8%) were slightly more likely to strongly disagree than females (5.4%). Among whites, females were more likely to strongly agree (31.8%) and white females were more likely than white males to agree with the statement. Black respondents were much more likely to agree (73%) than disagree with the statement that a working mother can establish just as warm and secure a relationship with her children as a nonworking mother can. Among black respondents, black females were much more likely to strongly agree (37%) than black males (19.9%). However, only slightly more black males strongly disagreed (6.6%) with the statement. Like whites, black males were less likely to strongly agree with the statement. Both white and black males were more likely to agree than disagree with the statement. Black women had the strongest response (37%) in favor of working mothers, while white males had the strongest response (31.1%) against the idea of working mothers keeping a strong relationship bond with their children. While more black male respondents agreed than disagreed with the statement, black males were more likely than black females (19.2%) to disagree. One of the most substantial race/gender differences noted here is the comparison between white respondents and black respondents, where the former are more likely to disagree that working mothers can have the same warm relationship bond with their children as nonworking mothers. Over half of all black males interviewed (68.9%) agreed with the statement, while only 63% of white males interviewed agreed with the statement. Similarly, 80.9% of black female respondents believed the statement to be true, while 76.1% of white female respondents agreed with the statement. Black women were more likely to strongly agree than were white women. Neither gender of either race were likely to strongly disagree. More white females (18.5%) disagreed with the statement than did black females (13.5%). The similarities among respondents choices are more prevalent than differences.

Instead of a clear gender difference between blacks and whites, this set of interviews uncovered surprising similarities in respondent’s choices. According to the color coding, no set identified how they were expected to. More so, black and white respondents varied from their expected responses in the same pattern. This may indicate a significant lapse of time between similar studies on this topic. That the estimated responses varied so significantly shows that the interviewing group based their expectations on inaccurate and out-of-touch data. Furthermore, that the responses were similar between races for both genders would indicate a blurring of some cultural differences between the races. The data suggests certain ideologies regarding the family unit, specifically the requirements for a mother’s warm and secure relationship with her children, must be similar between the two races. The higher percentage of men that disagreed with the statement suggests that the concept of a traditional household with the male as the sole breadwinner still holds weight in society. That fewer black males disagreed (31.1%) with the statement than white males (36.9%), could indicate that black males have adjusted to the idea of women in the workforce slightly better than their white counterparts. Perhaps the more matrilineal order of black households predisposes this transition. The surprising shift in respondents choices could also be an effect of males having a larger participatory role in their children’s lives.

Works Cited

Computer Assisted Survey Methods Program. SDA: Survey Documentation and Analysis. 13 March 2012. Website. 2012 March 22.