PRO LIFE OR PRO-CHOICE - POLITICS OF CAREER AND HOMEMAKING

The authors constructed empirical homemaking and career typologies to test the validity of Luker's contention that the abortion debate is no t about the welfare of the fetus but about the status and roles of wom en. We found that both homemakers and career-oriented women existed in a North American sample of Mennonites. Homemakers, who were more reli gious, less educated and less individualistic, were significantly more pro-life, as expected. The career-oriented were more educated and mor e individualistic, and they were also significantly more pro-choice. I ndividualism was the most significant predictor of pro-choice attitude s on all six dependent variables. However, ideology in the form of the Anabaptist religious beliefs found in this sample of Mennonites, was the most consistent and most significant predictor of pro-life attitud es. Anabaptist beliefs, cradled in a homemaking context, correlated hi ghly with pro-life attitudes on abortion, and correlated negatively wi th individualism, career-making, education, and socio-economic status. As Tribe's findings suggested, religion can be a strong counterforce to Luker's emphasis on status, which also correlates strongly with pro -life attitudes on abortion.