THIS study investigated the relationship between multiple characteristics of women's jobs and their family adjustment in a sample of 99 women in dual-earner families. Six work-related variables were considered simultaneously as predictors of family adjustment: intrinsic job gratification, satisfaction with job security, job-related mood, time spent at work, occupational prestige, and salary. The results were consistent with the hypothesis that women's paid work lives influence their family adjustment. Women's experiences of their work were significantly related to two of three measures of family adjustment. Salary was negatively associated with satisfaction with family relations for women in low-status occupations only. Time spent at work and occupational prestige showed no significant associations with reported adjustment. Of the three indicators of family adjustment, marital satisfaction appeared to be relatively immune from work influences. We hypothesized that the marital relationship may be less sensitive to women's paid work than are other aspects of their family relations.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aldous, J.1969"Occupational characteristics and males' role performance in the family."J. of Marriage and the Family31 (November): 707-712.
2.
Bailyn, L.1970"Career and family orientations of husbands and wives in relation to marital happiness."Human Relations23 (April): 97-113.
3.
Blood, R. O., Jr. and D. M. Wolfe1960Husbands and WivesNew York: Macmillan.
4.
Booth, A.1979"Does wives' employment cause stress for husbands?"Family Coordinator28 (October): 445-449.
5.
Burke, R. J. and T. Weir1976"Relationship of wives' employment status to husband, wife and pair satisfaction and performance."J. of Marriage and the Family38 (May): 279-287.
6.
Clark, R. A., F. I. Nye , and V. Gecas1978"Work involvement and marital role performance."J. of Marriage and the Family40 (February): 9-22.
7.
Cohen, J. and P. Cohen1975Applied Multiple Regression/ Correlation Analysis for the Behavioral SciencesHillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
8.
Crosby, F. J.Forthcoming Relative Deprivation and Working WomenNew York: Oxford Univ. Press.
9.
Davis, J. A.1974Codebook for the Spring 1974 General Social SurveyChicago: University of Chicago.
Glenn, N. D. and C. N. Weaver1978"A multivariate, multisurvey study of marital happiness."J. of Marriage and the Family40 (May): 269-282.
12.
Gover, D. O.1963"Socio-economic differential in the relationship between marital adjustment and wife's employment status."Marriage and Family Living25 (November): 452-457.
13.
Harrell, J. and C. Ridley1975"Substitute child care, maternal employment and the quality of mother-child interaction."J. of Marriage and the Family37 (August): 556-564.
14.
Heckman, N., R. Bryson, and R. Bryson1977"Problems of professional couples: a content analysis."J. of Marriage and the Family39 (May): 323-330.
15.
Hoffman, L. W.1963"Mother's enjoyment of work and effects on the child," pp. 95-105 in F. I. Nye and L. W. Hoffman (eds.) The Employed Mother in AmericaChicago: Rand McNally.
Jorgensen, S.1979"Socioeconomic rewards and perceived marital quality. A re-examination."J. of Marriage and the Family41 (November): 825-835.
18.
Kanter, R. M.1977Work and Family in the United States: A Critical Review and Agenda for Research and PolicyNew York: Russell Sage.
19.
Kemper, T. D. and M. L. Reichler1976"Work integration, marital satisfaction, and conjugal power."Human Relations29 (October): 929-944.
20.
Locksley, A.1980"On the effects of wives' employment on marital adjustment and companionship."J. of Marriage and the Family42 (May): 337-346.
21.
Marks, S. R.1977"Multiple roles and role strain: some notes on human energy, time and commitment."Amer. Soc. Rév.42 (December): 921-936.
22.
Mortimer, J. T.1980"Occupation-family linkages as perceived by men in the early stages of professional and managerial careers."Research in the Interweave of Social Roles: Women and Men1: 99-117.
23.
Mott, P. E., F. C. Mann, Q. McLoughlin, and D. P. Warwick1965Shift Work: The Social, Psychological and Physical ConsequencesAnn Arbor: Univ. of Michigan Press.
24.
National Commission on Working Women1979National Survey of Working Women: Perceptions, Problems and ProspectsWashington, DC: National Manpower Institute.
25.
Nock, S. L.1979"The family life cycle: empirical or conceptual tool?"J. of Marriage and the Family41 (February): 15-26.
26.
Nye F. I.1974"Husband-wife relationship," pp. 186-206 in L. Hoffman and F. Nye (eds.) Working Mothers.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 1963
27.
"Marital interaction," pp. 263-281 in F. I. Nye and L. W. Hoffman (eds.) The Employed Mother in America.Chicago: Rand McNally.
28.
Orden, S. R. and N. M. Bradburn1969"Working wives and marriage happiness."Amer. J. of Sociology74 (January): 391-447.
29.
Piotrkowski, C. S.1979Work and the Family SystemNew York: Macmillan.
30.
Rapoport, R. and R. Rapoport1971Dual-Career Families. New York: Viking. 1965 "Work and family in contemporary society."Amer. Soc. Rev.30 (June): 381-394.
31.
Richardson, J. G.1979"Wife occupational superiority and marital troubles. An examination of the hypothesis."J. of Marriage and the Family41 (February): 63-72.
32.
Ridley, C. A.1973"Exploring the impact of work satisfaction and involvement on marital interaction when both partners are employed."J. of Marriage and the Family35 (May): 229-237.
33.
Safilios-Rothschild, C.1976"Dual linkages between the occupational and family systems: a macro-sociological analysis."Signs1, 3 (part 2): 51-60.
34.
1970"The influence of the wife's degree of work commitment upon some aspects of family organization and dynamics."J. of Marriage and the Family32 (November); 681-691.
35.
Scanzoni, J.1970Opportunity and the FamilyNew York: Macmillan .
36.
Staines, G. L., J. H. Pleck , L. J. Shephard, and P. O'Connor1978"Wives' employment status and marital adjustment."Psychology of Women Q.3 (Fall): 90-120.
37.
Sweet, J.1973Women in the Labor ForceNew York: Seminar.
38.
Walshok, M. L.1979"Occupational values and family roles: women in blue-collar and service occupations," pp. 63-83 in K. W. Feinstein (ed.) Working Women and Families. Vol. 4. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
39.
Wright, J. D.1978"Are working women really more satisfied? Evidence from several national surveys."J. of Marriage and the Family40 (May): 301-314.
40.
Yarrow, M. R., P. Scott, L. deLeeuw, and C. Heinig1962"Child-rearing in families of working and non-working mothers."Sociometry25 (June): 122-140.
41.
Young, M. and P. Willmott1973The Symmetrical FamilyNew York: Random House.
