Exploring the Impact of Perceived Social Status in Role-Reversed Heterosexual Relationships on Women's Ambition in Masculine Occupations: The Role of Partner Support

Abstract

Women within a role-reversed relationship whose status exceeds their partners and who are pursuing masculine occupations experience a lot of career barriers. The purpose of the study was the examine the impact of social status on women's career ambition who are pursuing a masculine occupation and to understand how emotional spousal support plays a role in this relationship. This was important due to the lack of research on at-home dynamics related to the career ambition of women. In total, 182 participants were used, with an age ranging from 18 to 66. As expected, social status was positively associated with a career ambition to pursue a masculine occupation. Furthermore, in line with the expectations, spousal emotional support was positively associated with career ambition. This means that women whose status exceeds their partners and who are ambitious to pursue a masculine occupation can benefit from spousal emotional support. Further research should examine the effects of age and level of education as these variables might have an underlying impact on career ambition because they showed a significant correlation with it. Practical implications are that couples should emphasize emotional spousal support. Support programs could also enhance the awareness of spousal support and provide women with further resources in battling career barriers. Finally, the research should be carried out on an ethnically diverse sample, as the results might differ culturally.