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Gender Differences in the Influence of Professional Tenure on Work Attitudes

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Abstract

In this study we examined gender differences in the influence of professional tenure on 3 work attitudes: career salience, organizational commitment, and job involvement. In total, 220 men and 125 women working in high-level jobs in a large multinational organization completed a written questionnaire. Using hierarchical regression analyses, and controlling for differences between men and women in age, the presence of children, and number of working hours, we found no significant gender differences in the 3 work attitudes. The results further show that although career salience, job involvement, and organizational commitment increase with age, these work attitudes decrease with professional tenure. In terms of organizational commitment, the negative influence of professional tenure was significantly stronger for women than for men. Finally, the implications for future studies and for organizational practice are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Utrecht School of Governance, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Mandy E. G. van der Velde

  2. SHL Group, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Carin J. H. Bossink

  3. Department of Management and Organization, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Paul G. W. Jansen

Authors
  1. Mandy E. G. van der Velde
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  2. Carin J. H. Bossink
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  3. Paul G. W. Jansen
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Correspondence to Mandy E. G. van der Velde.

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van der Velde, M.E.G., Bossink, C.J.H. & Jansen, P.G.W. Gender Differences in the Influence of Professional Tenure on Work Attitudes. Sex Roles 49, 153–162 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024460930719

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