Sex and work centrality among European employees: The role of gender ideology and the social norm to work

Résumé 0

The extensive literature on sex differences in work centrality has yet to reach a consensus. Previous research has tried to explain sex variations in work centrality on the basis of an individual’s current working situation. However, work centrality is related to other sets of beliefs or representations, and also depends on national cultures. This study aims to measure the relationships between work centrality, sex, gender ideology, and the social norm to work, among European employees. Using structural equation modeling on the 2017 European Values Study (EVS), it is shown that once the social norm to work and gender ideology are controlled for, there is no direct effect of sex on work centrality, nor any indirect effect through the social norm to work. On the other hand, there is an effect of gender ideology on the social norm to work, which in turn influences work centrality.