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Locus of control and affectivity by gender and occupational status: A 14 nation study

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Abstract

This study investigated the extent to which reported gender differences in values are attributable to differences in national culture and organizational seniority. Locus of control and affectivity scores were obtained from 4599 managers and employees in business organizations located in 14 countries. Across nations, men and those in senior positions were more internal and less affective. Gender effects were additional to those attributable to status. Respondents in nations scoring higher on an index of modernity were found to be less internal. A pan-cultural factor analysis of locus of control items yielded four subscales. Men and those in senior positions scored higher on Socio-Political Control and Effort, but no differences were found on the Luck and Active Friendship subscales. The results are contrasted with those obtained from single-nation samples using student subjects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for International Business Studies, UK

    Fons Trompenaars

  2. School of Social Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, BN1 9QN, Brighton, UK

    Peter B. Smith & Shaun Dugan

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  1. Peter B. Smith
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  2. Shaun Dugan
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  3. Fons Trompenaars
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Additional information

We acknowledge receipt of ESRC Grant R 000 22 1552, which aided the completion of this study, and the helpful comments of Michael Bond and John E. Williams upon an earlier version.

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Smith, P.B., Dugan, S. & Trompenaars, F. Locus of control and affectivity by gender and occupational status: A 14 nation study. Sex Roles 36, 51–77 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02766238

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