SOME OF THE RESEARCHED FINDINGS FROM DR. FRIEDA BIRNBAUMS STUDY OF THE WOMAN, THE WOMAN IN TRANSISTION, AND THE PROFESSIONAL WOMAN OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

Women who work outside the home are happier and healthier and less often depressed.

When a woman changes from homemaker to a professional career, she sheds not only her image, but her lifestyle as well. A man, when he changes careers, simply uses it as a stepping stone. and has to change neither his image nor his life style.

A woman can start a new relationship with the man she is married to as she develops this new image. She will find it more satisfying than seeking a new partner.

Professional women have more fun in bed. Women who work outside the home develop an assertiveness that carries into their relationship and sex life.

Those who had mothers who were happy working in the home often choose to do the same thing as their mothers. Those who had housekeepers or were poor, or whose mothers had to work, had the least guilt about working. The daughters perceived the emotional message rather than what the mother actually did.

Women who were taught at an early age to develop themselves outside the home in careers had what were perceived as androgynous qualities.

Women who are successful and have families are often seen as selfish, while men are seen as family men.

Children who have both parents working outside the home are not only as happy as those with one parent staying at home, but they are more confident.


THE TRANSITIONAL WOMAN

Married non-professional (transitional) women reported better marital communication after they became professional.


SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT TRANSITIONAL WOMEN
EXPERIENCE INCLUDE:
Fewer arguments about money
Personal problems- are more readily discussed
More awareness of the others feelings
More open discussion about sex and the sexual experience is more exciting and dynamic
More compliments being exchanged.
Feelings are discussed openly
More equality in deciding how the family income should be spent
More respect and appreciation for private time together
The womans time is perceived as more valuable
The husband listens to the wife more often and respectfully
Individual and mutual interests are supported
The husband is more aware of the womans importance

Women of the twenty-first century are a combination of the family values woman of the fifties, the womans liberation movement of the sixties, and the me generation consisting of women from the seventies to the late nineties. A fusing of contradictory values into a holistic mixture, the women of the twenty-first century combine the traits of homemaker/wife, working woman and someone seeking their own goals. However, because of the difficulty of combining these values, the following are some of the results.

Women do not trust other women. The reason for this is that they have been taught to be manipulative, to get their needs met through other people, such as their husband and children.

Women overvalue in love. They want everything from one partner. They want love and security, yet yearn for independence, setting themselves up for disappointment. The key to womens growth is to let go of their demands on others, and find security in themselves. Then love will follow.

After a divorce, a woman goes out to find herself; whereas a man goes out to find a new relationship. The reason for this is that a young girl is taught to nurture and socialize, a young boy is usually taught independence and self-development. After a divorce, they each try to find the missing parts of themselves.

The most depressed, dissatisfied women were those who had preschool children and less than a high school education.

Transitional women, those in the midst of change will have the most difficult relationship with their spouses. However, if the marriage endures, it will be more satisfying than before.
Women are finally respected as professionals at the highest level. Former President Clinton appointed women to positions previously only held by men. His wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, was the first professional career woman to become the First Lady

Women are still struggling to understand their roles. There is a whole group of women who, after reaching their mid-thirties, find themselves in a place they do not want to be. No longer immersed in child-care, they find themselves in a less desirable relationship, with no goals of their own and in need of self-fulfillment. They find themselves asking, What happened to me along the way? What was in it for me when I was working so hard to support my children and husband? They are feeling that they might go through life less than the person they want to be, and fearful that if they choose a career; their marriage might fail. These women are usually confused at what seems like a no-win situation.

Younger generations need to know what the consequences are for their own lives so that if they desire, they can break from the patterns set by prior generations. Women with similar opportunities and constraints will identify and be affected by the fascinating results of a survey done by this author. Hundreds of metropolitan area women were asked questions about their roles, their identities, their marriages, their mothers, education, etc. The results were startling. Among the findings were that better sex, more satisfying relationships, and better fami1y lives result when equality is achieved.

Other findings explain how the woman of the twenty-first century is defined. A combination of societys definitions from the past fifty years and the difficulty of combining these values have reshaped the women of today.

Most importantly, the findings of the author outline how the woman in transition, the woman who becomes a professional after marriage, reported better marital communication and equality with her mate.

This is not a book about anger towards men, or about feminism, it is a book about families and the tremendous adjustments necessary to keep the family unit thriving into the twenty-first century and beyond. This book will remind women how far they have come, how they can achieve their present goals and how far they have yet to go.