Life Patterns and Self-Esteem in 81 Gifted Women, 1969-1970

81 intellectually gifted women, including homemakers and professionals, were surveyed in 1969 and 1970. The data were collected by Judith Birnbaum using a 41-page mailed questionnaire covering early experiences, activities, attitudes, and values. The Murray Research Archive holds the numeric and original paper data from this study.

Use Cases

• Modeling personality traits based on responses to nine projective cues and precoded items.
• Analyzing the perceived effects of marriage, children, and career on life satisfaction.
• Comparing attitudes and values between homemaker and professional subgroups.
• Studying job satisfaction and difficulties among professional women in academia.

Strengths

• Data from 81 participants across three distinct subgroups (29 homemakers, 25 married professionals, 27 single professionals).
• 41-page questionnaire provides depth on topics like early experiences, activities, attitudes, and future life satisfactions.
• Original numeric and paper records are preserved by the Murray Research Archive.

Limitations

• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data is from a specific cohort (midwestern university graduates/faculty, 1969-1970), which may limit generalizability.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Judith Birnbaum, Murray Research Archive

Collection Method

41-page mailed, self-administered questionnaire with projective cues, precoded, and open-ended items.

Time Range

1969-1970

Freshness

Data collected 1969-1970; last update unknown.

Geography

Midwestern United States (university context)