The Effects of Career Salience and Life-Cycle Variables on Perceptions of Work-Family Interfaces

Abstract

In recent years, the life-stages theory on work-family interfaces has attracted considerable attention. Being based on theories of adult development, the life-stages theory has a strong biological/physiological overtone. It overlooks individual differences in values, attitudes, and orientations, as well as the effects of such differences on perceptions of work-family interfaces. In this context, the present paper explored the effects of career salience and life-cycle variables on life-role salience. The findings showed that career salience interacted with life-cycle variables such that life-cycle variables affected the perceptions of men and women with different career orientations differently. The study involved a stratified sample of 429 Business Administration graduates from a local university.