1991/09/01 by CATHERINE HAKIM, Catherine Hakim · 2 citations
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Health Professions · Social Sciences · #Employment and Welfare Studies #Labor market dynamics and wage inequality #Work-Family Balance Challenges
paper · doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.esr.a036590
openalex publication_date 1991/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Although job segregation concentrates women in the lowest status and lowest paid jobs in the workforce, women are disproportionately satisfied with their jobs. This paper assesses the strength of women's work commitment in Western industrial societies, and finds it to be markedly lower than men's work commitment. Work commitment is also found to be a powerful predictor of women's work decisions and job choices. The majority of women aim for a homemaker career in which paid work is of secondary or peripheral importance, with strong support from their husbands for this strategy. A minority of women are committed to work as a central life goal, achieving jobs at higher levels of status and earnings. The existence of these two discrete groups within the female workforce explains the paradox of women's high satisfaction with poor jobs, and helps explain the persistence of job segregation. We conclude that more refined and sociological indicators of workforce participation must be developed to replace the standard measures used by labour economists.