Stemming the tide: Predicting women engineers' intentions to leave

• Published in: Journal of vocational behavior 2013-12, Vol.83 (3), p.281-294
• Main Authors: Singh, Romila, Fouad, Nadya A., Fitzpatrick, Mary E., Liu, Jane P., Cappaert, Kevin J., Figuereido, Catia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Career decisions; Commitments; Employee turnover; Engineers; Female employees; Job satisfaction; Organizational behavior; Social cognitive career theory; Studies; Turnover intentions
• ISSN: 0001-8791; 1095-9084
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jvb.2013.05.007

This investigation adapts and extends the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) by integrating it with central constructs from turnover theory. The extended model proposes that domain specific self-efficacy and outcome expectations predict job satisfaction and organizational commitment — the two key job attitudes that have been established as influential predictors of turnover cognitions and behaviors. Further, we proposed that one form of organizational supports, specifically developmental opportunities at work, are sources of self efficacy and outcome expectations, and that the relationship between organizational supports and job attitudes is mediated by self-efficacy and outcome expectations. The proposed model was tested on a national sample of 2,042 women engineers. Overall, the results provided support for our newly developed model. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed. •Extended Social Cognitive Career Theory to include organizational exit decisions•Extended affect driven turnover models to include agentic and motivational drivers•Results show self-efficacy and outcome expectations are positively related to job attitudes.•Job attitudes (job satisfaction and organizational commitment) are negatively related to turnover intentions.•Organizational supports directly influence self-efficacy and outcome expectations and indirectly job attitudes.