Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Preferences for Job Attributes Associated with Work and Family: A Longitudinal Study of Career Outcomes

Sex Roles Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Cite this article

Abstract

We examined the relationship between family responsibilities, job attribute preferences, and career-related outcomes (salary, management level, job satisfaction) in a longitudinal study of 171 women and men students in the same MBA program. Findings indicated that preferences for high salary and good advancement opportunities assessed when students entered the MBA program predicted satisfaction with their salary and advancement outcomes 3 years later. Preferences did not predict actual salary or management level outcomes, however. Together, these findings suggested that individuals may adjust their feelings of satisfaction to reduce dissonance created by their inability to attain higher salaries or a higher management rank. Perhaps because these individuals were in the early stage of their management careers, we found no significant associations between family responsibilities and career-related outcomes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aldag, R. J., & Brief, A. P. (1975). Age and reactions to task characteristics. Industrial Gerontology, 2, 223–229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arthur, M. B., Khapova, S. V., & Wilderom, C. P. M. (2002, August). Career success in a boundaryless career world. Paper presented at the meeting of the Academy of Management, Denver, CO.

  • Arthur, M. B., & Rousseau, D. M. (1996). The boundaryless career. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker, G. S. (1985). Human capital, effort, and the sexual division of labor. Journal of Labor Economics, 3, S33–S58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, P. E., & Moen, P. (1999). Scaling back: Dual-earning couples' work–family strategies. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61, 995–1007.

    Google Scholar 

  • Betz, M., & O'Connell, L. (1989). Work orientations of males and females: Exploring the gender socialization approach. Sociological Inquiry, 59, 318–330.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beutell, N. J., & Brenner, O. C. (1986). Sex differences in work values. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 28, 29–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blair-Loy, M., & Wharton, A. S. (2002). Employees' use of work–family policies and the workplace social context. Social Forces, 80, 813–845.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boles, J. S., Howard, W. G., & Donofrio, H. H. (2001). An investigation into the inter-relationships of work–family conflict, family–work conflict, and work satisfaction. Journal of Managerial Issues, 13, 376–390.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borg, I. (1991). On the relationship between importance and satisfaction ratings on job aspects. Applied Psycholog, 40, 81–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyar, S. L., Maertz, C. P., Jr., Pearson, A. W., & Keough, S. (2003). Work–family conflict: A model of linkages between work and family domain variables and turnover intentions. Journal of Managerial Issues, 15, 175–190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brief, A. P., & Aldag, R. (1975). Male–female differences in occupational attitudes within minority groups. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 6, 305–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brief, A. P., & Oliver, R. L. (1976). Male–female differences in work attitudes among retail sales managers. Journal of Applied Psychology, 61, 526–528.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carnicer, M. P. L., Perez, M. P., Sanchez, A. M., & Jimenez, M. J. V. (2003). Human resources mobility management: A study of job-related and non-related factors. International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 3, 308–320.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Centers, R., & Bugental, D. E. (1966). Intrinsic and extrinsic job motivations among different segments of the working population. Journal of Applied Psychology, 50, 193–197.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Champoux, J. (1978). A reexamination of the compensatory and spill-over models. Sociology of Work and Occupations, 5, 402–422.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherrington, D. J., Condie, S. J., & England, J. L. (1979). Age and work values. Academy of Management Journal, 22, 617–623.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cinamon, R. G., & Rich, Y. (2002). Gender differences in the importance of work and family roles: Implications for work-family conflict. Sex Roles, 47, 531–541.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, P. N., & Bianchi, S. M. (1999). Marriage, children, and women's employment: What do we know? Monthly Labor Review, 122(12), 22–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coltrane, S. (2000). Research on household labor: Modeling and measuring the social embeddedness of routine family work. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 1208–1233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cutler, M. M., & Jackson, A. L. (2002). A “glass ceiling” or work/family conflicts? Journal of Business and Economic Studies, 8, 73–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davey, F. H. (1998). Young women's expected and preferred patterns of employment and child care. Sex Roles, 38, 95–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eby, L. T., Butts, M., & Lockwood, A. (2003). Predictors of success in the era of the boundaryless career. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24, 689–708.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eby, L. T., Casper, W. J., Lockwood, A., Bordeaux, C., & Brinley, A. (2005). Work and family research in IO/OB: Content analysis and review of the literature (1980–2002). Journal of Vocational Behavior, 66, 124–197.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elizur, D. (1984). Facets of work values: A structural analysis of work outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 69, 379–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Filer, R. K. (1985). Male–female wage differences: The importance of compensating differentials. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 38, 426–437.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, S. J., & Greenhaus, J. (2000). Work and family—allies or enemies? What happens when business professionals confront life choices. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gomez-Mejia, L. R. (1990). Women's adaptation to male-dominated occupations. International Journal of Manpower, 11(4), 11–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenhaus, J., & Powell, G. N. (2003). When work and family collide: Deciding between competing role demands. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 90, 291–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haberfeld, Y. (1992). Employment discrimination: An organizational model. Academy of Management Journal, 35, 161–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heckert, T. M., Droste, H. E., Adams, P. J., Griffin, C. M., Roberts, L. L., Mueller, M. A., et al. (2002). Gender differences in anticipated salary: Role of salary estimates for others, job characteristics, career paths, and job inputs. Sex Roles, 47, 139–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hersch, J., & Stratton, L. S. (2002). Housework and wages. Journal of Human Resources, 37, 217–230.

    Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, C. A., & Duxbury, L. E. (1992). Work–family conflict: A comparison of dual-career men and traditional-career men. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13, 389–411.

    Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, C. A., Duxbury, L. E., & Lee, C. (1994). Impact of life-cycle stage and gender on the ability to balance work and family responsibilities. Family Relations, 43, 144–150.

    Google Scholar 

  • Judiesch, M. K., & Lyness, K. S. (1999). Left behind? The impact of leaves of absence on managers' career success. Academy of Management Journal, 42, 641–651.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman, G., & Uhlenberg, P. (2000). The influence of parenthood on the work effort of married men and women. Social Forces, 78, 931–949.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirchmeyer, C. (1992). Nonwork participation and work attitudes: A test of scarcity vs. expansion models of personal resources. Human Relations, 45, 775–795.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Konrad, A. M. (2003). Family demands and job attribute preferences: A 4-year longitudinal study of women and men. Sex Roles, 49, 35–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Konrad, A. M., & Cannings, K. (1997). The effects of gender role congruence and statistical discrimination on managerial advancement. Human Relations, 50, 1305–1328.

    Google Scholar 

  • Konrad, A. M., Corrigall, E., Lieb, P., & Ritchie, J. E., Jr. (2000). Sex differences in job attribute preferences among managers and business students. Group and Organization Management, 25, 108–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Konrad, A. M., Ritchie, J. E., Jr., Lieb, P., & Corrigall, E. (2000). Sex differences and similarities in job attribute preferences: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 593–641.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lacy, W. B., Bokemeier, J. L., & Shepard, J. M. (1983). Job attribute preferences and work commitment of men and women in the United States. Personnel Psychology, 36, 315–329.

    Google Scholar 

  • Landers, R. M., Rebitzer, J. B., & Taylor, L. J. (1996). Human resources practices and the demographic transformation of professional labor markets. In P. Osterman (Ed.), Broken ladders (pp. 215–245). New York: Oxford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lobel, S., & St. Clair, L. (1992). Effects of family responsibilities, gender, and career identity salience on performance outcomes. Academy of Management Journal, 35, 1057–1069.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lorence, J. (1987). Age differences in work involvement: Analyses of three explanations. Work and Occupations, 14, 533–557.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martins, L. L., Eddleston, K. A., & Veiga, J. F. (2002). Moderators of the relationship between work–family conflict and career satisfaction. Academy of Management Journal, 45, 399–409.

    Google Scholar 

  • Major, V. S., Klein, K. J., & Ehrhart, M. G. (2002). Work time, work interference with family, and psychological distress. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 427–436.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Martire, L. M., & Stephens, M. A. P. (2003). Juggling parent care and employment responsibilities: The dilemmas of adult daughter caregivers in the workforce. Sex Roles, 48, 167–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McHale, S. M., Crouter, A. C., & Tucker, C. J. (1999). Family context and gender role socialization in middle childhood: Comparing girls to boys and sisters to brothers. Child Development, 70, 990–1004.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Metz, I., & Tharenou, P. (2001). Women's career advancement: The relative contribution of human and social capital. Group and Organization Management, 26, 312–342.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ng, C. W., Fosh, P., & Naylor, D. (2002). Work–family conflict for employees in an East Asian airline: Impact on career and relationship to gender. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 23, 67–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • O'Driscoll, M. P., Ilgen, D. R., & Hildreth, K. (1992). Time devoted to job and off-job activities, interrole conflict, and affective experiences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77, 272–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Posner, B. Z. (1981). Comparing recruiter, student, and faculty perceptions of important applicant and job characteristics. Personnel Psychology, 34, 329–339.

    Google Scholar 

  • Powell, G. N. (1984). Effects of job attributes and recruiting practices on applicant decisions: A comparison. Personnel Psychology, 37, 721–732.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, J. (2003). You can't always get the hours you want: Mismatches between actual and preferred work hours in the U.S. Social Forces, 81, 1171–1199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roethlisberger, F. J., & Dickson, W. J. (1975). Management and the worker. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. (Original work published 1939).

  • Rothbard, N. P. (2001). Enriching or depleting? The dynamics of engagement in work and family roles. Administrative Science Quarterly, 46, 655–684.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rothbard, N. P., & Edwards, J. R. (2003). Investment in work and family roles: A test of identity and utilitarian motives. Personnel Psychology, 56, 699–730.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rounds, J. B., Dawis, R. V., & Lofquist, L. H. (1987). Measurement of person–environment fit and prediction of satisfaction in the theory of work adjustment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 31, 297–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruble, D. N., & Martin, C. L. (1998). Gender development. In N. Eisenberg (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology (Vol. 3, pp. 933–1016). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruderman, M. N., Ohlott, P. J., Panzer, K., & King, S. N. (2002). Benefits of multiple roles for managerial women. Academy of Management Journal, 45, 369–386.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rynes, S. L., Heneman, H. G., III, & Schwab, D. P. (1980). Individual reactions to organizational recruiting: A review. Personnel Psychology, 33, 529–540.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rynes, S. L., & Miller, H. E. (1983). Recruiter and job influences on candidates for employment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 68, 147–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saleh, S. D., & Lalljee, M. (1969). Sex and job orientation. Personnel Psychology, 22, 465–471.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneer, J. A., & Reitman, F. (1993). Effects of alternate family structures on managerial career paths. Academy of Management Journal, 36, 830–843.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schuler, R. S. (1975). Sex, organizational level, and outcome importance: Where the differences are. Personnel Psychology, 28, 365–375.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwab, D. P. (1982). Recruiting and organizational participation. In K. M. Rowland & G. R. Ferris (Eds.), Personnel management (pp. 103–128). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stroh, L. K., & Brett, J. M. (1996). The dual-earner dad penalty in salary progression. Human Resource Management, 35(2), 181–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stroh, L. K., Brett, J. M., & Reilly, A. H. (1992). All the right stuff: A comparison of female and male managers' career progression. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77, 251–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, S. E. (1999). The changing nature of careers: A review and research agenda. Journal of Management, 25, 457–484.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, S. E. (2001). Careers in the 21st century. Group and Organization Management, 26, 252–254.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, S. E., & Arthur, M. B. (2003, August). Physical and psychological passages and potential limitations in the boundaryless career. Paper presented at the meeting of the Academy of Management, Seattle, WA.

  • Taniguchi, H. (1999). The timing of childbearing and women's wages. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61, 1008–1019.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tenbrunsel, A. E., Brett, J. M., Moaz, E., Stroh, L. K., & Reilly, A. H. (1995). Dynamic and static work–family relationships. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 63, 233–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tharenou, P. (1999). Is there a link between family structures and women's and men's managerial career advancement? Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20, 837–863.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tolbert, P. S., & Moen, P. (1998). Men's and women's definitions of “good” jobs. Work and Occupations, 25, 168–194.

    Google Scholar 

  • Voydanoff, P. (1989). Work and family: A review and expanded conceptualization. In E. B. Goldsmith (Ed.), Work and family: Theory, research and applications (pp. 1–22). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waldfogel, J. (1998). Understanding the “family gap” in pay for women with children. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 12, 137–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wanous, J. P. (1977). Organizational entry: Newcomers moving from outside to inside. Psychological Bulletin, 84, 601–618.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wanous, J. P., Keon, T. L., & Latack, J. C. (1983). Expectancy theory and occupational/organizational choices: A review and test. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 32, 66–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weinraub, M., Clemens, L., Stockloff, A., Ethridge, T., Gracely, E., & Meyers, B. (1984). The development of sex role stereotypes in the third year: Relationship to gender labeling, identity, sex-typed toy preference, and family characteristics. Child Development, 55, 1493–1503.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, K. G., & Miller, J. G. (1990). The relation of career and family factors to the expressed minimum percentage pay increase required for relocation. Journal of Management, 16, 825–834.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiersma, U. J. (1990). Gender differences in job attribute preferences: Work–home role conflict and job level as mediating variables. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 63, 231–243.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winter, P. A., & Butters, J. M. (1999). Job attraction predictors for graduate professional students: The effects of job attributes, gender, and year of graduate study. Journal of Research and Development in Education, 32, 201–212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, J. D., & Hamilton, R. S. (1978). Work satisfaction and age: Some evidence for the “job change” hypothesis. Social Forces, 56, 1140–1158.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zedeck, S. (1991). Introduction: Exploring the domain of work and family concerns. In S. Zedeck (Ed.), Work, families, and organizations (pp. 1–32). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street North, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada

    Alison M. Konrad & Yang Yang

  2. Department of Management Science, George Washington University, Washington, DC

    Caren Goldberg

  3. Department of Management, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH

    Sherry E. Sullivan

Authors
  1. Alison M. Konrad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yang Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Caren Goldberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sherry E. Sullivan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alison M. Konrad.

Additional information

An earlier version of this paper was presented as part of the symposium, “You can't have all of it all of the time: Moderators of the relationship between family and career,” at the Academy of Management in New Orleans, LA, August 2004.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Konrad, A.M., Yang, Y., Goldberg, C. et al. Preferences for Job Attributes Associated with Work and Family: A Longitudinal Study of Career Outcomes. Sex Roles 53, 303–315 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-005-6754-3

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-005-6754-3

Keywords

search

Navigation