Abstract
Based on data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Work Experience, this research assesses three major life career patterns for mature American women: home, labor force, and mixed careers. The research then evaluates five general propositions and fourteen derived hypotheses concerning: (1) variability in the career patterns of mature American women; (2) differences in the intragenerational mobility of women with mixed and labor force careers; and (3) variations in the frequency of occupational change among women with labor force careers. In the first phase of the research, three general propositions and nine derived hypotheses are tested pertaining to the relationship between women's career patterns and their familial investments, human capital investments, and characteristics of the job and market. The findings provide support for the general propositions. All nine independent variables: marriage, children, mother's employment, husband's income, husband's attitude, health, education, earnings and demand for female labor are significantly related to overall variability in women's career patterns. More specifically, low human capital investments in health and education, as well as high familial investment in a conservative marriage (as reflected by husband's attitude) are associated with disproportionate representation of women with home careers. However, other attributes of familial investments and the job and market are not consistently associated with home careers. These findings suggest that mature American women are likely to experience substantial involvement in the labor force, i.e., mixed careers, regardless of their familial investments, human capital investments, or job characteristics. ...
Chenoweth, Lillian Cochran (1980). The career patterns and intragenerational mobility processes for mature American women. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -686473.