Comparison of the concurrent validity of Holland's theory for men and women in an enterprising occupation

Abstract

This study examined the concurrent validity of Holland's theory for men and women employed in an enterprising occupation. Using Holland-theme scores obtained from both the Self-Directed Search (SDS) and the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory (SCII), the degree of personality-environment correspondence and the relationships of personality type to job satisfaction were examined in a sample of 45 male and 43 female sales managers. In general, the findings suggested that, at least within an employed sample, Holland's theory is valid for women as well as for men. Using both the SDS and the SCII, women and men obtained their highest scores on the enterprising theme, and the mean E-theme scores of women were at least as high as were those of men. Significant sex differences on the Realistic, Artistic, and Social scales, found using SDS scores and SCII standard scores, were in the direction of generally-found sex differences. Both men and women were highly satisfied with their jobs, and moderate relationships between job satisfaction and enterprising and social scores were also found. While the results of this study suggest optimism regarding the theoretical and practical utility of Holland's theory for women as well as for men, differences in results as a function of different instruments and scoring methods suggest the need for further studies of this kind.