Attitudinal and demographic antecedents of workaholism

Following Snir and Zohar workaholism was defined as the individual's steady and considerable allocation of time to work-related activities and thoughts, which does not derive from external necessities. It was measured as time invested in work, with consideration of the financial needs for this investment. The effects of attitudinal and demographic variables on workaholism were examined through a representative sample of the Israeli labor force (n=942). Using independent-samples t tests, the following findings were revealed: respondents with a high level of occupational satisfaction worked more hours per week than those with a low level of occupational satisfaction. The same can be stated of self-employed versus salaried workers. On the other hand, people with a high level of family centrality worked few hours per week than those with a low level of family centrality. The same was revealed with people who defined an activity as work if "you do it at a certain time," compared with those who did not define it thus. No significant difference in weekly work hours was found between respondents with a high level of leisure centrality and those with a low level of leisure centrality. A one-way ANOVA revealed a significant effect for religiosity: secular people worked more hours per week than non-secular people (religious and those with a loose contact with religion).