Early Work Orientation & Later Situational Factors as Elements of Work Commitment Among Married Women College Graduates*

Using Becker's theory of commitment, national longitudinal data on 1961 college graduates are analyzed to determine the effects of early work orientation and the situational attributes of full-time work experience, husband's attitude and income, and number of children on the probability of 1968 employment among white married women. Work orientation is an insignificant predictor of work status and remains insignificant even when bolstered by any of the above variables. Similarly, the statistical interaction of other pairs of predictors makes no contribution to the probability of wives' employment. In the additive model, neither work orientation nor work experience affects employment probability. Three marriage-family variables are significant predictors: favorable husband, low income husband and absence of children. The findings are consistent with Becker's theory of nonconscious commitment.