Gender Differences in Job Autonomy: The Consequences of Occupational Segregation and Authority Position

Abstract

This research investigates the impact of gender, occupational segregation, and authority position on various forms of job autonomy. The empirical analysis was guided by theoretical concerns over the relevance of occupational characteristics and authority position in explaining the gender gap in job autonomy. Ordinary Least Squares regression results show that after taking various individual and employment‐related factors into account, authority position, but not female‐dominated occupation, explains a large portion of the gender gap in the degree of job autonomy. Furthermore, logistic regressions indicate that no gender differences in the likelihood of having any of five components of job autonomy remain, after taking all other factors in the model into account. It is concluded that authority position at work is more instrumental in explaining the gender gap in job autonomy than the gender composition of occupations.

Predicting Travel Attitudes Among University Faculty After 9/11

“…This result is consistent with data collected by college students on their working parents . In the corporate business world of the recent past, women traveled less than men, perhaps because women were perceived as unable or unwilling to travel because of family commitments (Adler, 1993;Markham, Bonjean, & Corder, 1986). Presser and Hermsen (1996) found that gender differences in travel are an example of inequity and likely represent employer gender stereotypes, as gender differences in travel were not found among selfemployed persons.…”

“…University faculty are an important population, well suited to the investigation of travel attitudes and travel intentions. Travel is a common contributor to both personal and professional well-being (Adler, 1993;Neal, Sirgy, & Uysal, 1999). The well-being of individuals, nations, and institutions is negatively influenced by factors that constrain travel, such as fear of terrorism, and by stress-producing circumstances surrounding travel, such as delays and inconveniences (Ivancevich, Konopaske, & DeFrank, 2003).…”

Race and Gender Differences in Workplace Autonomy: A Research Note

“…This research note explores the intersections of race and gender in one aspect of the labor process: workplace autonomy. Autonomy represents a nonmonetary labor market reward that, along with having a high salary, is identified as an important and favorable work characteristic (Adler 1993;Jencks, Perman, and Rainwater 1988;Kalleberg, Reskin, and Hudson 2000). The present study contributes to the emerging research on workplace autonomy in three key ways.…”

The Rewards of Authority in the Workplace: Do Gender and Age Matter?

“…Other studies of job quality show that women are more likely to work in positions and occupations with fewer opportunities for authority-a pattern which persists net of position, industry, and human capital (Smith 2002). Similar patterns for gender differences in job autonomy have been observed (Adler 1993;Lincoln and Kalleberg 1990;Schieman 2002). Despite this apparent disparity, studies show that women report slightly higher levels of organizational commitment net of job-, family-, and career-related conditions; while these patterns are not definitive, they go against the pattern of women's disadvantages in work conditions (Cohen and Lowenberg 1990;Marsden, Kalleberg, and Cook 1993;Mathieu and Zajac 1990).…”