Occupational Involvement and Alienation among Adults: The Effects of Gender and Age

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Abstract
This paper presents a path analytic study of differences due to one's gender in the perception of and meaning attributed to occupational involvement and alienation among adult professionals. Within the study, gender differences are not considered in isolation from interdependent age differences. The sample consists of 233 adults employed at the same job level within a large professional organization. The path model looks at the interplay between background variables, contextual/organizational variables, personal/psychological variables, and work outcomes (powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, isolation from organizational goals, and job satisfaction). The results indicate that the psychological structure of work alienation is qualitatively different for women than for men. Quantitatively, the men and women experience approximately the same amount of alienation. In general, age is a negative factor for the women, but a positive factor for the men especially in relationship with the contextual/organizational variables. The distinct meaning of work alienation for women as opposed to men and the role of age and adult identity are discussed in terms of further understanding the adult occupational experience.

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