Work Values of Working Women in Israel: A Comparison of Haredi Women with Those from the Secular and Traditional Segments

The Haredi (or Ultra-Orthodox) sector is the fastest growing population in Israel, but the ability to study their working world is limited, and as far as we know, the work values of Haredi women (who are usually the main breadwinners) have not been studied to date. This unique study compares their work values with those of secular and traditional Jewish-Israeli women. The Meaning of Work (MOW) questionnaire was administered to 467 employed Jewish-Israeli women (309 Secular, 138 Traditional, and 120 Haredi), addressing values, attitudes, and aspirations at the workplace. The findings indicate that, while secular women ascribe more importance to individualistic values related to interesting work and variety than do traditionalist and Haredi women, no significant differences exist among the three groups concerning the interest in good pay, autonomy, interpersonal relations, or job security. In addition, a higher level of religiosity was associated with the importance of convenient hours and inversely associated with the importance of learning new things. Further, Haredi women attribute more importance to promotion and congruence between their personal abilities and experience and the job requirements than did women from the other two groups. Overall, the background demographic variables had little impact on work values. The findings can be explained by the different cultural values (collectivism versus individualism) and the obstacles Haredi women experience in the labor market.

Linking Work Values Profiles to Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration

The association between work values and key motivational variables has been repeatedly supported in previous studies. However, little attention has been devoted to understanding intraindividual patterns of work values and how combinations of work values relate to other motivational variables. This study aimed to identify profiles of work values based on a four-factor model (i.e., intrinsic, extrinsic, social, and status). It also investigated how profile membership relates to basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration at work using a self-determination perspective. A sample of French Canadian adults (N = 476) participated in this study by filling out an online questionnaire. Latent profile analyses revealed five distinct work values profiles. Results showed that participants in more positive profiles (i.e., high level of intrinsic, social, and status work values) generally reported higher level of need satisfaction and lower level of need frustration at work than participants belonging to more negative profiles (i.e., low level of intrinsic, social, and status work values). These results support the importance of considering work values in organizational and career development interventions, and to do so using a person-centered approach, to better understand need satisfaction and frustration at work.

Adolescent Work Values and Drug Use in Adulthood: A Longitudinal Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Personal values have been considered as a predictor of drug use. Methods: We examined the association between work values in adolescence and drug use in adulthood using 23-year longitudinal data from the Youth Development Study. Results: Partial extrinsic and intrinsic work values predicted cannabis use in the past year after adjusting for sociodemographic variables and alcohol and tobacco use at baseline. A part of intrinsic work values was negatively associated with illicit drug use in the past year. Conclusions: The present study suggested that some personal values might influence future drug use. Investigating the association between personal values and subsequent drug use through personal value theory and self-determination theory could help to understand risk and preventive factors in drug use.

Intergenerational Transmission of Work Values: A Meta-Analytic Review

Work values act as guiding principles for individuals' work-related behavior. Economic self-sufficiency is an important predictor for psychological well-being in adulthood. Longitudinal research has demonstrated work values to be an important predictor of economic behavior, and consequently of self-sufficiency. Socialization theories designate parents an important role in the socialization of their children to cultural values. Yet, extant literature is limited in demonstrating the role families play on how youth develop agentic pathways and seek self-sufficiency in transition to adulthood. This study presents a meta-analytic review investigating the intergenerational transmission of work values, which is frequently assessed in terms of parent-child value similarities. Thirty studies from 11 countries (N = 19,987; Median child age = 18.15) were included in the analyses. The results revealed a significant effect of parents on their children's work values. Both mothers' and fathers' work values, and their parenting behavior were significantly associated with their children's work values. Yet, similarity of father-child work values decreased as child age increased. Our findings suggest a moderate effect, suggesting the influence of general socio-cultural context, such as generational differences and peer influences, in addition to those of parents on youth's value acquisition. Our systematic review also revealed that, despite its theoretical and practical importance, social science literature is scarce in comprehensive and comparative empirical studies that investigate parent-child work value similarity. We discuss the implications of our findings for labor market and policy makers.

Examining regional variability in work ethic within Mexico: Individual difference or shared value

Despite the acceptance of work ethic as an important individual difference, little research has examined the extent to which work ethic may reflect shared environmental or socio-economic factors. This research addresses this concern by examining the influence of geographic proximity on the work ethic experienced by 254 employees from Mexico, working in 11 different cities in the Northern, Central and Southern regions of the country. Using a sequence of complementary analyses to assess the main source of variance on seven dimensions of work ethic, our results indicate that work ethic is most appropriately considered at the individual level.

Work values and intention to become a registered nurse among healthcare assistants

PURPOSE

To examine the work values of Swiss healthcare assistant students, who, at the end of their vocational education in hospitals and nursing homes, choose to pursue a registered nurse degree.

DESIGN

A prospective, cross-sectional survey was administered to a full cohort of healthcare assistant students in their last year of study in the canton of Bern (n=272).

METHOD

Multivariate methods (logistic regression) were applied to estimate the joint effect of work experience and work values in choosing to pursue a registered nurse education.

FINDINGS

Among work values, extrinsic values (regarding wage, career und educational perspectives) had a strong effect on the decisions of healthcare assistant students to pursue further education as registered nurses. Grades, socio-economic background and satisfaction during education also had an effect.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher valuation of income, career and further education affect the career intentions of nursing assistants who have already obtained a recognized healthcare education and nursing experience. Teachers and trainers should actively identify the work values and expectations of these students. Provision of adequate advice and suggestions for the career development of these students may be an important route by which to address the nursing shortage and recruitment problems.

Economic Recession

We examine how work difficulties in the early career, and the generally deteriorating work conditions associated with the recent U.S. economic recession, shape individuals' work values. Drawing on panel data from the Youth Development Study, we test whether individuals change their work values in response to concerns about satisfying material needs or the features of jobs that they are able to attain. Results indicate that extrinsic values are weakened in the face of unemployment, as well as reduced job security, income, and advancement. These patterns support a reinforcement and accentuation model in which workers adjust their values to emphasize what they actually obtain from the job. Intrinsic values are weakened by working in a job unrelated to one's career plans; they are reinforced by the experience of greater intrinsic rewards and advancement opportunities.