Masculinity contest culture and turnover intentions: The roles of work stress and coping styles

Abstract

Masculinity contest culture (MCC) is a dysfunctional organizational climate in which stereotypically masculine characteristics are honored and rewarded. Previous research found that MCC was positively related to turnover intentions, but potential individual differences in this association are unknown. We filled this gap by conducting a cross-sectional study among a convenience sample of Chinese working women and men (n = 687). The results showed that MCC was significantly associated with greater work stress. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses further revealed that work stress and emotion-focused coping (EFC) positively predicted turnover intentions, whereas problem-focused coping (PFC) negatively predicted it. Furthermore, PFC moderated the association between MCC and intention to leave. That is, for employees with stronger PFC, the positive link between MCC and turnover intentions weakened. Moreover, when work stress, coping strategy, age, and gender were included, MCC was no longer linked to turnover intentions; work stress and coping styles explained the largest amount of variance in turnover intentions. In summary, our study indicated that PFC is more adaptive to MCC than EFC. Thus, we suggest that organizations take measures to promote a healthy working climate, and provide training for managers and employees in optimal coping strategies.