Gender Differences in Coping with Involuntary

Corporate restructuring has resulted in involuntary job loss for a significant number of white collar workers. This study investigated gender differences in reaction to involuntary job loss and tested a model of career gorwth through job loss. Former clients, 456 males and 62 females, of a nationwide outplacement firm completed a questionnaire that measured the two criteria that were chosen to operationalize the construct of career growth (new job satisfaction and a retrospective perception of the benefits of job loss as outweighing the costs) and seven predictor variables (pre-job loss satisfaction, post-job loss activity level, long-term financial impact, level of post-job loss family support, degree of family flexibility, level of post-job loss friend/coworker support, and current emotional level). Data were subjected to t-tests, chi-squares, and separate stepwise regression procedures. The result