CULTURE WATCH : Are ‘60s Activists Happy at Last?
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How are middle-aged ‘60s activists faring?
Female former activists are happier and more successful than non-activist women or male former activists, according to a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology by Williams College and Boston University.
The study included 116 people--46 of them activists--who came of age in the mid-1960s. They were interviewed at ages 31 and 41:
* Male former activists had lower-paying jobs, often in public service, than non-activist men or female activists. They were the least happy.
* Female activists protested for the rights of everyone--women, blacks, the poor, draft resisters. Men often took on a personal cause against the Vietnam War draft.
* Both fought traditional wife/mother and soldier/provider roles. But society changed more to accept women in the workplace than to accept non-traditional men.
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