Value Similarities and Differences in Three Generations of Women

Abstract

A three-generational sample of 53 young women, their mothers, and their maternal grandmothers responded to a Likert-type questionnaire consisting of six scales: political-social values, religiosity, attitudes toward students, attitudes toward one's own aging, attitudes toward old people, and attitudes toward death. Results indicated that mother-daughter correlations were higher than mother-grandmother or daughtergrandmother correlations on some scales, but lower on others. Grandmothers and mothers seemed farthest apart, while daughters and mothers were most similar. The middle-aged sample scored in an intermediate position on four of the scales, but showed greater fear of aging and less regard for older persons than either daughters or grandmothers.