A Gender-based Framework of the Experience of Job Insecurity and its Effects on Work Attitudes

Gender effects on job insecurity and other work attitudes (organizational commitment, tendency to quit, resistance to change, perceived performance, and perceived organizational support) were investigated, with 385 Israeli schoolteachers as a case in point. On a multidimensional measure of job insecurity, males and females significantly differed in their level and profile of job insecurity. Males were more insecure and emphasized financial concerns, whereas females expressed concerns about intrinsic facets of their jobs as well as financial concerns. Gender effects on work attitudes exceeded the effects of job insecurity and other demographic characteristics for most of the work attitudes studied. Moreover, job insecurity affected work attitudes differently for men and women. For females, all job attitudes were adversely affected by job insecurity; for males, only organizational commitment, intention to leave, and resistance to change were affected. Gender theories are applied to explain the differences found in this study. Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are discussed.