| Tidy Lives: A Model of Pluralism in Work/Life Balance |
| | Crooker, Karen J. | U. of Wisconsin, Milwaukee | kcrooker@csd.uwm.edu | (414) 229-6296 |
| | smith, faye l. | Emporia State U. | smithfaye@emporia.edu | 316-341-5345 |
| | Tabak, Filiz | Towson U. | ftabak@towson.edu | 410-830-3541 |
| | We develop a model of and propositions about work/life balance that
incorporate multiple levels of analysis and multiple contexts in which
individuals are engaged (work, profession, community, and family). We
reframe work/life balance issues from a more pluralistic perspective,
expanding on the demographics of gender, marital/family status, and
ethnicity typically considered in the literature. By applying macro
concepts of complexity, dynamism, and munificence, we also take a broader
view of the environment in which individuals live and work than that
generally used in work/life research. In the resulting model, resource
munificence and accessibility in an individual's environment, along with
a person's system of values, moderate the relationship between life
complexities and dissonance experienced. The impact of dissonance on
personal and organizational outcomes is moderated by individual
differences in coping skills. |
| | Keywords: work/life balance; uncertainty & munificence; individual differences |
| Correlates of Voluntary vs. Involuntary Part-Time Employment Among Women |
| | Caputo, Richard K. | Yeshiva U. | rcaputo@mail.barry.edu | 305-899-3926 |
| | Cianni, Mary | Towers Perrin | ciannim@towers.com | 212-309-3780 |
| | This paper presents results of a study using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Labor Market Experience to assess the extent to which type and duration of labor force attachment added to the explanatory power of psychological, demographic, and family household characteristics to predict voluntary (n=166) vs. involuntary part-time (n=160) employment of women. We found that labor market attachment characteristics added little to personal, attitudinal, family, contextual, and cumulative characteristics to predict part-time employment status (voluntary vs. involuntary) and had vurtually no effect on the odds of any oter correlates on employment status. The major exception was number of years a woman spent unemployed. The longer part-time working women had been previously unemployed, the greater the likelihood they were involuntarily employed. In addition, we found that being married and being employed in the private sector decreased the likelihood of involuntary part-time employment.
Findings suggest that involuntarily part-time employed women appear to be |
| | Keywords: women; part-time work; employment status |
| Job Attribute Preferences in the Changing Context of Employment and Family Relationships |
| | Hartmann, Linley Claire | U. of South Australia | Linley.Hartmann@unisa.edu.au | (618)-8302-0327 |
| | OBrien, Peter W. | U. of Adelaide | pobrien@economics.adelaide.edu.au | (618)-8303-3105 |
| | Patrickson, Margaret G. | U. of South Australia | Margaret.Patrickson@unisa.edu.au | (618)-8302-0433 |
| | This study examines two propositions concerning gender and job attribute preferences. First, what is the impact of an increasing focus on 'protean careers' and 'lifetime employability' and second, what is the the impact of traditional and non-traditional expectations of family roles and family career.
Variables included job orientation (Manhardt, 1972), family role description (Mintz & Mahalik, 1996), career-home options (Cooper, Arkkelin, & Tiebert, 1994), the importance of work, family, relationships and children, perceptions of future career patterns. Questionnaires were posted to graduates from an Australian business faculty five months after their final examinations. Within an age range of 20-34 years, the response rate was 42% with useable responses from 201 (female = 115, male = 86). The sample was mainly single (67%), employed (85%) with no family responsibilities (95%).
The three significant gender differences in mean ratings each ranked lower than 15 out of 25 items. The first five ranked items were the same for men and women. Factor analysis results are inconsistent with other studies using Manhardt's questionnaire. Order is reversed for factor 1 and 3 but the factors - career growth, employment context and social ideals, fit well with contemporary employment circumstances. Further details of the effect of 'career futures' and 'career/family role options' in relation to other demographic variables are discussed.
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| | Keywords: job attributes; career; gender |
| Professional and Psychological Benefits of Multiple Roles for Managerial Women |
| | Ruderman, Marian N. | Center for Creative Leadership | Ruderman@leaders.ccl.org | (336)-288-7210 |
| | Ohlott, Patricia J. | Center for Creative Leadership | ohlott@leaders.ccl.org | 336-286-4423 |
| | Panzer, Kate | Center for Creative Leadership | panzerk@leaders.ccl.org | 336-286-4425 |
| | King, Sara N. | Center for Creative Leadership | Kings@leaders.ccl.org | 336-286-4532 |
| | Many studies have concluded that women managers, more so than their male counterparts, suffer the detrimental effects of conflict between the different roles they play in life. Some evidence has suggested that involvement in multiple major life roles may have psychological benefits. We suggest that the experience of multiple roles by women may actually have some positive relationships to their work performance. This paper reports the results of two studies which examined the relationship of managerial women's commitment to various life roles to their life satisfaction and performance at work. Participants were 223 high-achieving managerial women who participated in a leadership development program for women. All of the women completed surveys, and a subset of them were interviewed in depth. Results of the quantitative study supported our hypotheses that involvement in multiple roles is related to enhanced work performance as well as to life satisfaction. Qualitative analyses of the interview data suggest roles women play in their personal lives positively impact their performance at work by providing women with additional opportunities for learning, psychological buffering of work-related challenges and stress, additional work-related advice and support, and information that enhances perspective on the job. |
| | Keywords: Women; Management; Performance |