Detroit Area Study, 1981: A Study of the Family

This Detroit Area Study was primarily devoted to investigating the family from the perspective of males. The survey asked men about their relationships with family members and friends and included questions on contact, intimacy, activities done together, help given and received, serious disagreements, and expectations placed on relatives. In addition, men were queried about their own self-image and their views on gender roles, the value of marriage, and the inappropriateness of certain behaviors for wives and steady girlfriends. Married men were questioned about the distribution of power and the division of labor between themselves and their spouses, e.g., who had more say in decisions about the purchase of major household items, and who did most of the housework. The survey explored satisfaction with fatherhood and the degree of and kind of involvement of fathers with their children, including their child-rearing practices and values. As in previous Detroit Area Studies, the survey gauged attitudes toward abortion, defense spending, the Equal Rights Amendment, school prayer, and unions. Additional information gathered by the survey includes duration of residence in the tri-county area and at the current address, moves planned for the future, home and motor vehicle ownership, political party identification, vote in the 1980 presidential election, social class identification, satisfaction with jobs, use of public transportation, religion and religiosity, employment status, occupation and industry, and information on age, sex, place of birth, marital status, education, income, race, ethnicity, and household composition.