Abstract
According to traditional gender roles and stereotypes, men are given the primary role of breadwinners (work orientation), whereas women are responsible for the nurturance of children and the maintenance of the family dwelling (family orientation). Therefore, it could be presumed that women and men with a steady romantic relationship give a different importance to their career. However, several factors may affect the relation between close relationships and career salience, namely, (1) characteristics of the individual (education and employment status, gender ideology, gender role identity), (2) characteristics of the relationship (e.g., dependence on the partner, presence or not of children), and (3) characteristics of the partner (e.g., gender ideology, educational attainment). Moreover, these factors may affect career salience differentially in men and women. Both members of 148 Spanish couples, all white and middle-class, answered an individual questionnaire. The results show that women and men obtained similar scores in career salience. However, women with children, a low educational level, and traditional gender ideology and those who were strongly influenced by their partners showed lower career salience than women with the opposite characteristics. Moreover, whereas career salience among men was unrelated to the characteristics of their partners, career salience among women was related to the gender ideology, labor situation, and educational attainment of their partners.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Basow, S. A. (1992). Gender, stereotypes and roles (3rd ed.) Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Berscheid, E., Snyder, M., & Omoto, A. M. (1989). The relationship Closeness Inventory: Assessing the closeness of interpersonal relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(5), 792–807.
Betz, N. E. (1994). Basic issues and concepts in career counseling for women. In W. B. Walsh & S. H. Osipow (Eds.), Career counseling for women (pp. 1–41). Hillsdale, NJ.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Betz, N. E., & Fitzgerald, L. F. (1987). The career psychology of women. New York: Academic.
Bronstein, P., Black, L., Pfening, J. L., & White, A. (1987). Stepping onto the academic ladder: Comparison of women and men applicants for junior faculty positions. In B. A. Gutek & L. Larwood (Eds.), Women's career development (pp. 110–128). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Brooks, L., & Forrest, L. (1994). Feminism and career counseling. In W. B. Walsh & S. H. Osipow (Eds.), Career counseling for women (pp. 87–134). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Chow, E. N. (1987). The influence of sex-role identity and occupational attainment on the psychological well-being of Asian American women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 11, 69–81.
Claes, R., Martin, G., Coetsier, P., & Super, D. E. (1995). Homemakers and employed women in Belgian Flanders and the Southeast United States. In D. E. Super & B. Sverko (Eds.), Life roles, values, and careers. (pp. 325–338). San Francisco, Jossey–Bass.
Covin, T. J., & Brush, C. C. (1991). An examination of male and female attitudes toward career and family issues. Sex Roles, 27(7/8), 393–415.
Diamond, E. E. (1988). Women's occupational plans and decisions: An introduction. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 37(2), 97–102.
Eccles, J. S. (1994). Understanding women's educational and occupational choices. Applying the Eccles et al. model of achievement-related choices. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 18, 585–609.
Eckenrode, J., & Gore, S. (1990). Stress and coping at the boundary of work and family. In J. Eckenrode & S. Gore (Eds.), Stress between work and family (pp. 1–16). New York: Plenum Press.
Etaugh, C., & Nekolny, K. (1990). Effects of employment status and marital status on perceptions of mothers. Sex Roles, 23, 273–280.
Farmer, H. S. (1985). Model of career and achievement motivation for women and men. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 32(3), 363–390.
Gerstein, M., Lichtman, M., & Barokas, J. V. (1988). Occupational plans of adolescent women compared to men: A cross-sectional examination. Career Development Quarterly, 36, 222–230.
Gilbert, L. A. (1993). Two careers/One family. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Gilbert, L. A., Hallett, M., & Eldridge, N. S. (1994). Gender and dual-career families: Implications and applications for the career counseling of women. In W. B., Walsh & S. H. Osipow (Eds.), Career counseling for women (pp. 135–164). Hillsdale, N.J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Greenhaus, J. H. (1971). An investigation of the role of career salience in vocational behavior. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 1, 209–216.
Greenhaus, J. H., & Simon, W. E. (1971). Career salience, work values, and vocational indecision. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 10, 104–110.
Gutek, B. A. (1988). Sex segregation and women at work:A selective review. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 37, 103–120.
Hackett, G., Esposito, D., & O'Halloran, S. (1989). The relationship of role model influences to the career salience and educational and career plans of college women. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 35, 164–180.
Hardesty, S. A., & Best, N. E. (1980). The relationship of career salience, attitudes toward women and demographic and family characteristics to marital adjustment in dual career couples. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 17, 242–250.
Hock, E., & DeMeis, D. K. (1990). Depression in mothers of infants: The role of maternal employment. Developmental Psychology, 26(2), 285–291.
Holm, V. L., & Esses, L. M. (1988). Factor influencing Canadian high school girls' career motivation. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 12, 313–328.
INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadi´stica) [Spanish Statistics Institute] (1999). Encuesta de población activa. Madrid: INE.
Instituto de la Mujer [Spanish Women's Institute] (1997). La mujer en cifras. Madrid: Ministerio de Asuntos Sociales [Ministry of Social Matters].
Jaccard, J., Turrisi, R., & Wan, C. K. (1990). Interaction effects in multiple regression. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Jozefowicz, D. M., Barber, B. L., & Eccles, J. S. (1993). Adolescents’ work-related values and beliefs: Gender differences and relation to occupational aspirations. Paper presented at Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research on child Development. New Orleans.
Kelley, H. H., Berscheid, E., Christensen, A., Harvey, J. H., Huston, T. L., Levinger, G., McClintock, E., Peplau, L. A., & Peterson, D. R. (1983). Close relationships. New York: Freeman.
Kotkin, M. (1983). Sex role among married and unmarried couples. Sex Roles, 9, 975–985.
Kush, K., & Cochran, L. (1993). Enhancing a sense of agency through career planning. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 40(4), 434–439.
Leung, S. A., Conoley, C. W., & Scheel, M. J. (1994). The careers and educational aspirations of gifted high school students: A retrospective study. Journal of Counseling Development, 72, 298–303.
Mednick, M. T., & Thomas, V. G. (1993). Women and the psychology of achievement: a view from the eighties. In F. L. Denmark & M. A. Paludi (Eds.), Psychology of women. A handbook of issues and theories (pp. 585–626). Westport: Greenwood Press.
Melamed, T. (1995). Career success: The moderating effect of gender. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 47, 35–60.
Miller, J., & Garrison, H. H. (1982). Sex roles: The division of labor at home and in the workplace. Annual Review of Sociology, 8, 237–262.
Moya, M., & Peplau, L. A. (1992). Comparing the career aspirations of women and men in Spain and the United States, Unpublished manuscript.
Moya, M., Navas, M., & Gómez, C. (1991). Escala sobre la Ideología del Rol Sexual. Paper presented at the III Congreso de Psicología Social, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Peplau, L. A., Hill, C. T., & Rubin, Z. (1993). Sex role attitudes in dating and marriage: A 15-year follow-up of the Boston couples study. Journal of Social Issues, 49(3), 31–52.
Pfost, K. S., & Fiore, M. (1990). Pursuit of nontraditional occupations: Fear of success or fear or not being chosen? Sex Roles, 23(1/2), 15–24.
Phillips, S. D., & Imhoff, A. R. (1997). Women and career development: A decade of research. Annual Review of Psychology, 48, 31–59.
Shelton, B. A., & Firestone, J. (1988). Time constraints of men and women: Linking household labor to paid labor. Sociology and Social Research, 72, 102–105.
Spence, J. T., & Helmreich, R. (1972). The Attitudes Toward Women Scale: An objective instrument to measure attitudes towards the rights and roles of women in contemporary society. JSAS Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 2. No. 66.
Stroh, L. K., Brett, J. M., & Reilly, A. H. (1996). Family structure, glass cieling, and traditional explanations for the differential rate of turnover of female and male managers. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 49, 99–118.
Tharenou, P., & Conroy, D. (1994). Men and women managers' advancement: Personal and situational determinants? Applied Psychology: An International Review, 43(1), 5–31.
Valdez, R., & Gutek, B. A. (1987). Family roles: A help or a hindrance to working women? In B. A. Gutek & L. Larwood (Eds.), Women's career development (pp. 159–169). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
White, B. L., & Cooper, C. L. (1994). The career development of successful women. Proceedings of the British Psychological Society, 2(2), August.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Moya, M., Expósito, F. & Ruiz, J. Close Relationships, Gender, and Career Salience. Sex Roles 42, 825–846 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007094232453
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007094232453