Sex differences and similarities in job attribute preferences: A meta-analysis

Many researchers have studied sex differences in job attribute preferences. The authors meta-analyzed 242 samples collected from 321,672 men and boys and 316,842 women and girls in the United States between 1970 and 1998. Fin dings indicated significant (p <.05) sex differences on 33 of 40 job attrib ute preferences examined. The effect sizes were small. Of the 33 significan t differences, 26 had average effect sizes of magnitude .20 or less. The di rections of the differences were generally consistent with gender roles and stereotypes. Many job attributes became relatively more important to women and girls in the 1980s and 1990s compared with the 1970s, indicating that women's aspirations to obtain job attributes rose as gender barriers to opp ortunity declined.