The relationship between work role centrality, social support systems, work -family dynamics, and job satisfaction in women

Over the past 30 years the demographic makeup of the labor force has changed dramatically. One of the reasons for the change is the increase in the number of women who have chosen to participate in the labor force. Women that are responsible for the additional roles of wife and mother have affected the labor force statistics as well.;In an attempt to determine why these roles affect women in the labor force, this dissertation examined the relationships between: (a) role centrality, (b) work-based social support, (c) non work-based social support and (d) job satisfaction through the mediating variables of family interference with work and work interference with family. This study adds to the body of research on job satisfaction, as it utilized variables that have not been measured as contributing factors to job satisfaction.;The subjects for this study were 77 women that were employed on a full-time basis in the United States. Respondents were recruited from various employers to ensure a heterogeneous sample. Results of this study indicated a significant relationship between work based social support and work family conflict. Similarly the results of this study indicated a significant relationship between non-work based social support and work family conflict. These results suggest that women who perceive the availability of work or non-work based social support programs are less likely to experience work family conflict.;A questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. Instruments included in the questionnaire were: Job Satisfaction Relative to Expectations Scale, Work-Family Conflict and Family-Work Conflict Scale and the Work Role Salience Scale.*.;*This dissertation is a compound document (contains both a paper copy and a CD as part of the dissertation). The CD requires the following system requirements: Adobe Acrobat.