What was going on when I was born?

The split in political attitudes between men and women, a trend that Republicans have feared since women's unhappiness with President Reagan became clear in national polls last year, has emerged as a major factor in many 1982 election contests. Politicians report that what they call the gender gap is showing up widely in campaigns from coast to coast. Their campaign polls usually find Democrats getting more support from women while Republicans have more backing from men, but women vote in greater numbers than men. Facing this unaccustomed divergence, both parties are concentrating on women. Although they share some tactics, such as greater use of daytime television, the parties argue over whether the Reagan Administration's economic and budget policies have hit women hardest. Many Republicans are seeking to shield themselves from the effects of women's dislike for the Administration, shown repeatedly in national polls, by emphasizing education or the elderly in their campaigns.

Consumer prices rose only two-tenths of 1 percent in September, bringing the annual inflation rate so far to 4.8 percent. The rate for the year is now likely to be 5 percent or lower. (Page A1.) The price index for the New York-Northeastern New Jersey area rose much more sharply, eight-tenths of 1 percent, because of increases in the cost of food, housing and transportation. (A25.) The Government ran up a record budget deficit of $110.7 billion in the 1982 fiscal year, ended Sept. 30. Measured against the gross national product, however, the 1982 deficit was smaller than the previous record, $66.4 billion, in fiscal 1976. (D1.)

IT was a great day for American sportswear. The clothes looked comfortable and a little whimsical. They were fresh enough to make a woman want to go out and buy something new when warm weather strikes. But not only women were involved. Both Adri and Perry Ellis, who showed their new fashion collections yesterday, made ample provision for men. Their men's clothes are casual and are closely related to women's styles. Designing for men was a first for Adri, the winner of this year's Coty Award, who observed that men and women have been sharing their clothes for a long time. Several of her sweaters were identical for both sexes - only the sizing was different.

Consumer prices, held down by declining mortgage rates and housing prices, rose only two-tenths of 1 percent in September, bringing the inflation rate for the year so far to 4.8 percent, the Government reported today. The rate of inflation for all of 1982 is now likely to be 5 percent or lower, far less than the double-digit increases of 1979 and 1980. With just a week to go before the Congressional elections, the announcement of last month's Consumer Price Index by the Labor Department buttressed a campaign claim that President Reagan had been making for months - that the Administration has all but licked inflation and set the stage for an economic recovery. Arguments on Recovery Outlook But the Democrats have countered that the price of lower inflation is a severe recession and 10.1 percent unemployment, the highest rate since 1940. They, as well as some economists, also argue that the outlook for recovery is still uncertain.

The nation's major oil producers are entering the winter heating season with their lowest supplies of heating oil in more than 20 years. Although oil company officials and industry analysts say they do not expect shortages to occur, they also say that the relatively short supplies of refined heating fuel are pushing up retail prices. In large part, the reduced level of heating oil stocks reflects the changing economics of the oil industry. With crude oil in generous supply, and with consumption declining because of the recession and conservation measures, the oil industry has scaled back the use of its refineries and is attempting to hold down the cost of keeping refined products in storage.

The City Council passed a measure yesterday to require the licensing of mid-Manhattan stores that sell audio, video and photographic equipment, electronic calculators and Oriental or Persian rugs. The bill was primarily aimed at shops that officials described as tourist traps - stores that promise huge savings but actually price their merchandise at enormous markups. The Consumer Affairs Department was given the responsibility for policing such stores and was given the power to close them if they violated the law. The bill passed by a vote of 39 to 1, and Mayor Koch is expected to sign it. Simon P. Gourdine, the Commissioner of Consumer Affairs, said his agency would begin enforcement within a month after the bill became law.

A chart in Business Day yesterday incorrectly listed sales by manufacturers of Awacs and E-2C aircraft. Boeing has sold 52 Awacs - 34 to the United States and 18 to NATO. Grumman has sold 76 E-2C's - 60 for the United States, 8 for Japan, 4 for Egypt and 4 for Israel.

THE very best carryout food is not confined to the most expensive, the most famous or the fanciest shops in Manhattan. It is often found in tiny, virtually unknown places tucked away behind unprepossessing storefronts. Among the cheapest, juiciest chickens, for instance, are those grilled at Chirping Chicken, a store on the West Side that looks like a thousand other fast-food restaurants. One of the richest, most exotic sandwiches in town, made with pate, Brie and sun-dried tomatoes, can be found at Omri, a place on East 69th Street that is easy to miss. And the best brioche was uncovered in TriBeCa, at the brand-new Acute Cafe Patisserie.

More than 150 American business executives plan to travel to Moscow next month to discuss the possibility of expanded trade with Soviet officials despite the chill in Soviet-American relations. There has been no official announcement of the planned two-day meeting, on Nov. 16 and 17, which includes a dinner at the Kremlin, probably to be attended by Leonid I. Brezhnev, the Soviet leader. But Administration officials confirmed the plan, as did a spokesman for the U.S.-U.S.S.R. Trade and Economic Council, which is organizing it. The council, a nongovernmental organization that was formed in 1973 at the height of detente and includes many of the largest American corporations, has decided to hold its annual meeting in Moscow and has invited its 200 members to take part. It would be the first meeting in Moscow since 1978 when some 275 American businessmen went there and had dinner with Mr. Brezhnev.

In a turbulent session marked by heavy trading, the Dow Jones industrial average finished yesterday at 1,006.07 with a gain of 10.94 points. Big-capitalization blue chips were the market's best performers. On Monday, the Dow had plunged 36.33 points - the second-largest point decline in the history of the average -as investors became increasingly concerned that the decline in interest rates might be ending. Yesterday's rebound was attributed to rumors, which proved unfounded, that another cut in the discount rate by the Federal Reserve might be imminent. These rumors sent Government bond prices higher and the stock market followed suit.

In Connecticut's race for Senate, Lowell P. Weicker Jr. is leading his Democratic opponent, Toby Moffett, among voters most likely to cast ballots in next week's election, according to the latest New York Times Poll. Earlier this month, a Times Poll had found Mr. Moffett ahead of Mr. Weicker among all registered voters by 43 percent to 38 percent. An analysis shows that part of the difference between the two surveys reflects a shift in popular sentiment toward Mr. Weicker. But the analysis also indicates that some of the discrepancy resulted from different methods used in the two surveys. The new poll was taken after The Hartford Courant published a survey conducted for it by the University of Connecticut. The Courant survey, released on the same day as The Times's first poll, was sharply at variance with it. While the Times poll showed Mr. Moffett ahead, the Courant one showed Mr. Weicker with a substantial lead. Most of the private polls have also shown Mr. Weicker ahead, though his margin in some of them has been small.

The Administration reported today that the Government ran up a record budget deficit of $110.7 billion in the 1982 fiscal year, the first full fiscal year under Ronald Reagan's Presidency. The huge deficit for the 12 months ended Sept. 30, which had to be financed by Treasury borrowing, was far above the previous record, $66.4 billion, which was set in the 1976 fiscal year by Gerald R. Ford's Administration. However, after adjusting for inflation by comparing the deficit to the size of the economy as measured by the gross national product, the 1982 result was smaller - 3.6 percent of G.N.P. versus 4 percent in 1976. The 1982 deficit, reported today by the Treasury Department and the Office of Management and Budget, was in line with expectations. But it was regarded as noteworthy for two reasons: It was far more than either Mr. Reagan or his predecessor, Jimmy Carter, had projected, and it is a lot less than the deficits projected for the 1983 fiscal year, which began on Oct. 1, and for later years.