Abstract

Changes in young people’s expectations in regards to paid work and family relations are a silent rebellion that include a demand for increased gender equality in areas traditionally defined as “private” dimensions of life. These aspirations are examined through a self-administered questionnaire (N=500) conducted with nursing students at a university in Talca (central-south Chile) of both sexes (76% females, 24% males) aged between 18 and 29. Survey results show that students have a generally conventional view of paid employment, whereas in the family domain they distance themselves from traditional gender roles, preferring an equal distribution of work and family responsibilities between men and women. This shows that these new aspirations can be a powerful force for social change, even though they are conditioned by the existing legal framework and employment conditions.