SEX-DIFFERENCES IN JOB OUTCOME PREFERENCES - TRENDS AMONG NEWLY HIRED COLLEGE GRADUATES

Examined several causes for discrepant findings in the literature related to sex differences in job outcome preferences. 648 college graduates newly hired into entry-level business jobs over a 9-yr period rated job characteristics comprising 3 job outcome dimensions: (a) long-term career objectives, (b) working environment and interpersonal relationships, and (c) intrinsic job aspects. The possibility that the area of professional training could account for sex differences in job outcome preferences was explored, controlling for age, education, organizational level, and occupational category. Although professional training area did have a significant effect on job outcome preferences, sex differences persisted, with females giving significantly less emphasis to career objectives and significantly more emphasis to work environment and interpersonal job aspects than males. Analyses of trends showed a convergence of female preferences toward those of males on the 2 dimensions in which sex differences were found. Efforts to predict turnover from job outcome preferences suggested that females with a relatively high career orientation were less likely than males or other females to leave the organization. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1979 American Psychological Association.