Abstract
Eighty-four female and 84 male college students evaluated a briefly described female stimulus person on 20 seven-point bipolar scales which described personality traits and professional competencies. Each subject rated 1 of 12 women who were described as either never married, divorced, widowed, or married and as either employed full-time, employed part-time, or unemployed. As hypothesized, the personal traits and professional competencies of employed women were evaluated more favorably than those of unemployed women, and the personality traits of married women were perceived more positively than those of unmarried women. Contrary to predictions, unmarried and married women were perceived as equally competent.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Burke, R. J., & Weir, T. Relationship of wives' employment status to husband, wife, and pair satisfaction and performance. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 1976, 38, 279–287.
Cohen, J., & Cohen, P. Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1975.
Duberman, L. Marriage and its alternatives. New York: Praeger, 1974.
Etaugh, C., & Kasley, H. Evaluating competence: Effects of sex, marital status, and parental status. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 1981, 6, 196–203.
Etaugh, C., & Malstrom, J. The effects of marital status on person perception. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 1981, 43, 801–805.
Ferree, M. Working class jobs: Housework and paid work as sources of satisfaction. Social Problems, 1976, 23, 431–441.
Gigy, L. L. Self-concept of single women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 1980, 5, 321–340.
Gove, W. R. The relationship between sex roles, marital status and mental illness. Social Forces, 1972, 51, 34–44.
Gove, W. R., & Geerken, M. R. The effect of children and employment on the mental health of married men and women. Social Forces, 1977, 56, 66–76.
Havens, E. M. Women, work, and wedlock: A note on female marital patterns in the United States. American Journal of Sociology, 1973, 78, 975–981.
Hudis, P. M. Commitment to work and family: Marital status differences in women's earnings. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 1976, 38, 267–278.
Kitson, G. C., Lopata, H. Z., Holmes, W. M., & Meyering, S. M. Divorcees and widows: Similarities and differences. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 1980, 50, 291–301.
Mason, K. O., & Bumpass, L. L. U.S. women's sex-role ideology, 1970. American Journal of Sociology, 1975, 80, 1212–1219.
Mason, K. O., Czajka, J. L., & Arber, S. Changes in U.S. women's sex-role attitudes, 1964–1974. American Sociological Review, 1976, 41, 573–596.
Newberry, P., Weissman, M. W., & Myers, J. K. Working wives and housewives: Do they differ in mental status and social adjustment? American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 1979, 49, 282–291.
Nunnally, J. Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967.
Osmond, M. W., & Martin, P. Y. Sex and sexism: A comparison of male and female sex-role attitudes. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 1975, 37, 744–758.
Parelius, A. P. Emerging sex-role attitudes, expectations and strains among college women. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 1975, 37, 146–153.
Powell, B. The empty nest, employment, and psychiatric symptoms in college-educated women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 1977, 2, 35–43.
Radloff, L. Sex differences in depression: The effects of occupation and marital status. Sex Roles, 1975, 1, 249–265.
Radloff, L. Depression and the empty nest. Sex Roles, 1980, 6, 775–781.
Shinar, E. H. Person perception as a function of occupation and sex. Sex Roles, 1978, 4, 679–693.
Spreitzer, E., & Riley, L. F. Factors associated with singlehood. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 1974, 36, 533–542.
Spreitzer, E., Snyder, E., & Larson, D. Age, marital status and labor force participation as related to life satisfaction. Sex Roles, 1975, 1, 235–247.
Stein, P. J. Single. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1976.
Treiman, D. J., & Terrell, K. Sex and the process of status attainment: A comparison of working men and women. American Sociological Review, 1975, 40, 174–200.
U.S. Department of Labor. Employment in perspective: Working women. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, 1978.
Weiss, R. S. Loneliness. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1973.
Wright, J. D. Are working women really more satisfied? Evidence from several national surveys. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 1978, 40, 301–313.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Etaugh, C., Petroski, B. Perceptions of women: Effects of employment status and marital status. Sex Roles 12, 329–339 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287599
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287599