Testing an integration of Vroom's instrumentality theory and Holland's typology on working women

Abstract

An approach to integrate a cognitive component into Holland's typology was developed and tested on 171 noncollege degreed women employed in male and female typical occupations. In this integration women's occupational preferences were derived via V. Vroom's 1964, Work and motivation. New York: Wiley instrumentality theory and classified according to J. L. Holland's 1973, Making vocational choices. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall typology. The congruency between types of women's actual occupational choices and their cognitive occupational preferences was then compared to the congruency between types of their personality and choices. Results indicated that although the association between types of cognitive occupational preference and actual occupational choice was superior to that of personality and choice, occupational preference and choice were different constructs. The utility of this approach was discussed in relation to (a) the necessary distinction between occupational preference and choice, particularly for segments of the population facing stereotyping and discrimination, (b) the silence in Holland's theory regarding this distinction, and (c) the growing interest in a proactive research posture among those interested in the effect of psychology on the status quo of women in the work force.