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Gender Differences in Organizational Commitment

Influences of Work Positions and Family Roles

Harvard University

ARNE L. KALLEBERG

University of North Carolina

CYNTHIA R. COOK

Harvard University

Data obtained from the 1991 "Work Organizations" module of the General Social Survey (GSS) reveal a small but significant tendency for employed men to display higher organizational commitment (OC) than employed women do. This article examines the gender differences and factors that arguably heighten or dampen it. The authors consider both job models highlighting gender differences on job attributes such as autonomy or rewards, and gender models that stress socialization, family ties, and differential labor market opportunities. They find that the primary explanation for the gender difference is that men are more likely than women to hold jobs with commitment-enhancing features. Gender differences in family ties do little to affect male-female OC difference. When job attributes, career variables, and family ties are simultaneously controlled, the authors find that, if anything, women tend to exhibit slightly greater OC. Contrary to implications of some gender models, the correlates of OC do not appear to be appreciably different for men and women.

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