Job insecurity: male and female employees, their marriages and families

Abstract

While there is a growing body of literature on the effect of unemployment on individuals, and their marriages and families, a paucity of research has focused on job insecurity, or employment uncertainty, as a stressor on employees and their families. In addition, research on women in the workplace is relatively new. The incidence and severity of personal stress among male (n = 79) and female (n = 53) employees is compared during a period of job insecurity at a small midwestern university. Patterns of marital and family functioning for both male and female employees during the period of employment uncertainty also are compared. No significant differences were found in either the incidence and severity of personal stress among male and female employees or in the way their marriages and families functioned during the period of job insecurity.