Technical Papers
Dec 19, 2013

Predictive Models for Work-Life Balance and Organizational Commitment of Women in the U.S. Construction Industry

Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 140, Issue 3

Abstract

The ability to predict and develop policies, programs, and environments that enhance work-life balance (WLB) and promote organizational commitment is important for employers concerned with minimizing employee turnover. The aim of this study is to investigate elements that lead to enhanced organizational commitment and increase the likelihood that a female employee will stay with her employer in the U.S. construction industry. The specific contributions of this study are that it ascertains through a survey questionnaire the relative importance of different aspects of employer, job, employee benefits, and personal life satisfaction elements. The factor with the most pronounced influence on satisfaction with employer was whether the respondent had earned a college degree or trade certificate. Respondents with a college degree or a trade certification were more than four and a half times more likely to respond as satisfied with their current employer than those who did not have a degree or certification. Having children in the household also was a predictor of short-term (6-month) employee commitment, but not for long-term (5-year) commitment. Instead, marriage or an intimate relationship and retirement benefits were predictors of long-term commitment. Predictive mathematical models for these elements were developed, tested, and validated. These models allow employers to measure the employee’s satisfaction with the employer, and the short-term and long-term employee commitment among their U.S. female construction industry employees. The results can be used by employers to develop intervention strategies to enhance WLB, promote organizational commitment, and minimize female employee turnover.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

References

Agapiou, A. (2002). “Perceptions of gender roles and attitudes toward work among male and female operatives in the Scottish construction industry.” Constr. Manage. Econ., 20(8), 697–705.
Bhatia, S., and Amati, J. (2010). “‘If these women can do it, I can do it, too’: Building women engineering leaders through graduate peer mentoring.” Leadership Manage. Eng., 174–184.
Employment Service. (1990). “Standard occupational classification.” Structure and definitions of major, minor and unit groups. Vol. 1, HMSO, London.
Emslie, C., and Hunt, K. (2009). “‘Live to work’ or ‘work to live’? A qualitative study of gender and work-life balance among men and women in mid-life.” Gend. Work Organ., 16(1), 151–172.
Fielden, S., Davidson, M., Gale, A., and Davey, C. (2000). “Women in construction: The untapped resource.” Construct. Manage. Econ., 18(1), 113–121.
Forma, P. (2009). “Work, family and intentions to withdraw from the workplace.” Int. J. Soc. Welfare, 18(2), 183–192.
Forstenlechner, I., and Lettice, F. (2008).“Well paid but undervalued and overworked.” Employee Relat., 30(6), 640–652.
Guest, D. E. (2002). “Perspectives on the study of work-life balance.” Soc. Sci. Inform., 41(2), 255–279.
Guillaume, C., and Pochic, S. (2009). “What would you sacrifice? Access to top management and the work-life balance.”Gend. Work Organ., 16(1), 14–36.
Hewlett, S. A., and Luce, C. B. (2005). “Off-ramps and on-ramps: Keeping talented women in the road to success.” Harvard Bus. Rev., 83(3), 43–54.
Malone, E. K., and Issa, R. R. A. (2013). “Work-life balance and organizational commitment of women in the US construction industry.” J. Prof. Issues Eng. Educ. Pract., 139(1), 81–86.
Merrill, M. A., and Merrill, R. R. (2003). Life matters: Creating a dynamic balance of work, family, time, and money, McGraw Hill, New York.
Nomaguchi, K. M. (2009). “Change in work-family conflict among employed parents between 1977 and 1997.” J. Marriage Fam., 71(1), 15–32.
O’Neil, D. A., Hopkins, M. M., and Bilimoria, D. (2008). “Women’s careers at the start of the 21st century: Patterns and paradoxes.” J. Bus. Ethics, 80(4), 727–743.
SAS. (2013). Statistical analysis system v.9.3, Cary, NC.
Schwartz, F. N. (1989). “Management women and the new facts of life.” Harvard Bus. Rev., 67(1), 65–76.
Smith, J., and Gardner, D. (2007). “Factors affecting employee use of work-life balance initiatives.” New Zealand J. Psych., 36(1), 3–12.
Stephens, B., and Riley, K. (2005).“Developing annual estimates of hires and separations.” Bureau of labor and statistics, 〈http://www.bls.gov/osmr/pdf/st050250.pdf〉 (Feb. 22, 2009).
Toor, S.-R., and Ofori, G. (2011). “Women leaders breaking the glass ceiling in Singapore’s construction industry.” J. Prof. Issues Eng. Educ. Pract., 1–6.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). (2008).“Women in the labor force: A databook.”, 〈http://www.bls.gov/cps/wlf-databook-2008.pdf〉 (Feb. 21, 2011).
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). (2009).“Women in the labor force: A databook.”, 〈http://www.bls.gov/cps/wlf-databook-2009.pdf〉 (Feb. 21, 2011).
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). (2010).“Women in the labor force: A databook.”, 〈http://www.bls.gov/cps/wlf-databook-2010.pdf〉 (Feb. 21, 2011).
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). (2011).“Women in the labor force: A databook.”, 〈http://www.bls.gov/cps/wlf-databook-2011.pdf〉 (Dec. 17, 2011).
U.S. Department of Health, and Human Services. (2008). “Women’s health USA 2008.” Women in the labor force, 〈http://mchb.hrsa.gov/whusa08/popchar/pages/109wlf.html〉 (Feb. 21, 2011).
Whitmarsh, L., Brown, D., Cooper, J., Hawkins-Rogers, Y., and Wentworth, D. (2007). “Choices and challenges: A qualitative exploration of professional women’s career patterns.” Career Dev. Q., 55(3), 225–236.
Winslow, S. (2005). “Work-family conflict, gender, and parenthood, 1977–1997.” J. Fam. Issues, 26(6), 727–755.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 140Issue 3March 2014

History

Received: Mar 1, 2013
Accepted: Oct 24, 2013
Published online: Dec 19, 2013
Published in print: Mar 1, 2014
Discussion open until: May 19, 2014

Permissions

Request permissions for this article.

Authors

Affiliations

E. Kent Malone [email protected]
Lecturer, Warrington College of Business Administration, Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-7168. E-mail: [email protected]
Raja R.A. Issa [email protected]
F.ASCE
Univ. of Florida Research and Holland Professor, M. E. Rinker, Sr. School of Building Construction, Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-5703 (corresponding author). E-mail: [email protected]

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Download citation

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

Cited by

View Options

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Copy the content Link

Share with email

Email a colleague

Share