A longitudinal analysis of the support for counter-stereotypical gender roles in Chile: Consensus on communal men but discord on agentic women
Using longitudinal data from 2016 to 2023, this study reveals that while Chilean society shows enduring consensus in supporting communal roles for men, attitudes toward agentic roles for women are highly heterogeneous, with nearly half of the population supporting them while a significant quarter exhibits a marked decline in support over time.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
Imagine Chilean society as a giant, evolving garden where people are constantly replanting their views on how men and women should behave. For a long time, the garden had a very strict layout: men were the "gardeners" who built fences and managed the tools (public, leadership roles), while women were the "nurturers" who watered the plants and cared for the flowers (home, caregiving roles).
This study, led by researchers from Chile and Spain, wanted to see if people were finally willing to swap those jobs. They didn't just take a snapshot of the garden; they watched it grow over seven years (from 2016 to 2023) using a massive, nationally representative survey. They used a special statistical microscope called "Latent Class Growth Analysis" to sort people into different groups based on how their opinions changed over time.
Here is what they found, broken down into simple stories:
1. The "Dad" Shift: A Quiet Consensus
When it came to men taking on more "nurturing" roles (like doing more housework or taking care of kids), the garden showed a massive, stable agreement.
- The Metaphor: Imagine 96% of the gardeners agreeing that "Yes, dads should definitely help water the plants."
- The Result: Almost everyone in the study consistently supported the idea that men should take on more domestic responsibility. This view didn't really change over the years; it was a solid, steady "yes" from the vast majority. It seems society has largely accepted that men can be good at the "communal" stuff traditionally reserved for women.
2. The "Mom" Shift: A Divided Garden
When the researchers asked about women taking on "agentic" roles (like having a high-powered career), the garden became much more chaotic. There was no single consensus. Instead, they found four distinct groups of people, each moving in a different direction:
- Group A (The Steady Supporters - ~45%): These people started out believing that a working mom can be just as warm and loving to her kids as a stay-at-home mom, and they never changed their minds. They stayed supportive throughout the years.
- Group B (The "Cooling Off" Group - ~27%): This is the most interesting group. In 2016, they were very supportive of working moms. But over time, their support dropped. They started to believe that if a mom works, she might not be able to connect as deeply with her children. It's as if they started out open-minded but slowly became more skeptical, perhaps influenced by a "backlash" against feminism.
- Group C (The "Growing" Group - ~13%): These people started out skeptical, thinking working moms might struggle with their kids. But over time, they changed their minds and became strong supporters of working moms.
- Group D (The Skeptics - ~16%): These people consistently held onto the belief that working moms can't be as warm to their children as non-working moms.
The Key Insight: The disagreement wasn't about the obvious idea that "working moms are bad." Most people agreed that working moms don't necessarily hurt their kids. The conflict was about a subtle, hidden worry: "Can a working mom still be emotionally close to her child?" That is where the division happened.
3. What Predicts These Changes?
The researchers looked at what made people fall into these different groups.
- Education: People with higher levels of education were more likely to stay in the "Steady Supporter" group. They kept believing that working moms are just fine.
- Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA): This is a personality trait where people strongly value strict order, tradition, and authority. People with high RWA scores were the ones most likely to be in the "Cooling Off" group. They started out supportive but lost that support over time, likely because they felt threatened by changing social norms.
- What didn't matter: Surprisingly, a person's gender, age, or political party didn't predict which group they were in. It wasn't just "men vs. women" or "left vs. right"; it was more about their education and their desire for strict social order.
4. The Future Impact
The study also looked at what happens in 2023 for these different groups.
- The group that lost their support for working moms (the "Cooling Off" group) was the most likely to believe that when jobs are scarce, men should get them first.
- This suggests that when people start doubting that a mom can be a good worker and a good mom, they are more likely to support unfair labor rules that favor men.
The Bottom Line
The garden in Chile is changing, but not in a straight line.
- Good News: Almost everyone agrees that men should help more at home. The "fence-builder" role is no longer seen as exclusive to men.
- The Challenge: There is still a deep, lingering worry about women. Even though people say they support equality, a significant chunk of the population is slowly becoming more worried that a woman's career will hurt her ability to be a "good mom." This subtle doubt is what fuels resistance to true equality.
The paper concludes that while we are moving forward, the path is bumpy. We have a consensus on men doing more, but we are still fighting a quiet battle over whether women can truly do both—lead a career and nurture a family—without losing their way.
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