Gender Differences in Perceptions of Resources and Turnover Intentions of Work-Linked Couples in Masculine Occupations

Employees in work-linked marriages have spouses that share the same family and the same workplace and/or
occupation. Whereas, in recent years, there has been increasingly more research on dual-career marriages (i.e. both
spouses work, but not necessarily at the same workplace and/or occupation), there has been very little research on
work-linked marriages. The current study focuses on work resources (i.e. family supportive supervisor behaviour
and job control) as key mediating processes that explain the effect of gender on turnover intentions among
work-linked employees in masculine occupations (i.e. military). Investigating gender differences is important
because, compared with men, women are more likely to be in work-linked marriages and to leave their jobs. Based
on role theory and conservation of resource theory, we predicted that gender was related to turnover intentions, and
this relationship would be mediated by key explanatory variables (i.e. family supportive supervisor behaviours, job
control and psychological distress). Mediation analyses, conducted on a sample of men and women in work-linked
marriages (n = 309), provide support for the hypothesized model. These findings offer guidance for understanding
gender differences among work-linked employees in masculine occupations, and how these differences can affect
important outcomes such as turnover intentions.