PATTERNS OF ADJUSTMENT TO THE CAREER FAMILY CONFLICT OF TECHNICALLY TRAINED WOMEN IN THE UNITED-STATES AND ISRAEL

The number of women in technical/scientific careers is still very smal l worldwide. The aim of the present paper is to understand how women w ho are already pursuing technical careers experience and reconcile the demands of their professional and private lives in two different nati onal contexts. Participants in the study were 453 women in two countri es with different socioeconomic, political, and cultural backgrounds: the United States and Israel. The cross-cultural perspective is employ ed here in order to better understand the universal aspects of the phe nomenon, as opposed to those that are tied to a particular situational or cultural context. Women in both countries face a practical dilemma in combining career and family as well as a femininity dilemma relate d to their identity as women. These dilemmas differ according to the l ife stage of the women, but the effects vary by national culture.