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Unraveling the mysteries of gender differences in intentions to leave the organization
Author(s) -
Miller Jane Giacobbe,
Wheeler Kenneth G.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of organizational behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.938
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1099-1379
pISSN - 0894-3796
DOI - 10.1002/job.4030130504
Subject(s) - antecedent (behavioral psychology) , psychology , turnover , promotion (chess) , job satisfaction , economic shortage , turnover intention , social psychology , work (physics) , demographic economics , management , political science , economics , mechanical engineering , linguistics , philosophy , government (linguistics) , politics , law , engineering
The anticipated labor shortages of the 1990's will intensify organizational needs to retain their existing employees. Women represent an increasingly important segment of the labor force and their turnover rates are thought to exceed men's. Earlier studies of turnover and its psychological antecedent, the behavioral intention to leave, suggest that work‐related factors may contribute to women's relatively higher turnover rates. The current paper reports the results of a study of the intentions of male and female executives, managers and professionals to leave their organizations. The results support the pattern of findings in earlier studies that gender differences disappear when job satisfaction is controlled in the analysis. Further analysis highlights the importance of two components of job satisfaction — meaningful work and opportunities for promotion. The authors conclude that organizations might improve their retention rates of female managers through job enrichment and by enhancing their advancement opportunities.