The effect of employment on the relationship between gender-role preference and self-esteem in married women

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among gender-role preference, self-esteem and employment category (full-time, part-time, homemaker) while controlling for the effects of income and religion. Data were collected from 79 White married women using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and a gender-role preference scale developed by the author. Findings indicated that: (a) there are significant differences in gender-role preference among categories of employment, with full-time workers having more modern views; (b) category of employment did not influence self-esteem; and (c) women with mixed gender-role preference had lower self-esteem than those with modern gender-role preference. The strength of the relationship between self-esteem and gender-role preference varied by category of employment. Gender-role preference made a significant contribution as a predictor of self-esteem (above and beyond the effects of income and religion) for full-time workers only.