Career Orientation and Re-Entry Women: Intrapersonal Issues
This paper reviews Saleena and Mavoothu's (2015) study published in the Global Management Review, which investigates the effects of career orientation on the intrapersonal issues faced by re-entry women and their associated career penalty. The review identifies three core concepts from the literature — intrapersonal re-entry issues, perceived career penalty, and career orientation — and explains how each informed the study's research questions. It describes the data collection and analysis methods, the sample of 75 married professional women in Kerala, India, and the key findings: that intrapersonal re-entry issues significantly predict career penalty, and that career orientation mediates this relationship. The paper also addresses the study's contributions to knowledge and its recommendations for future research.
- Introduction and Article Overview: Article citation and basic identifying information
- Key Issues from the Literature Review: Three core concepts informing the study
- Data Collection and Analysis Methods: Surveys, regression, and SEM methodology
- Research Participants: 75 married re-entry women in Kerala, India
- Research Findings: Career orientation mediates re-entry penalty relationship
- Contributions to Knowledge and Future Research Directions: Study implications and recommendations for further inquiry
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper clearly identifies and paraphrases three distinct theoretical concepts from the literature, demonstrating the student's ability to synthesize sources rather than quote them directly.
- Each section answers a specific analytical prompt in a structured, organized manner, making the review easy to follow and evaluate.
- The student accurately connects the literature review concepts to the study's research questions, showing an understanding of how theory informs empirical design.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective source paraphrasing and conceptual linkage. Rather than reproducing the article's language, the student restates each concept in their own words and explicitly explains how it shaped the study's objectives and questions — a core skill in academic literature review writing.
Structure breakdown
The paper follows a structured article-review format with six clearly differentiated sections: article identification, key literature concepts, methodology, sample description, findings, and contributions/recommendations. Each section addresses a discrete question about the source article, progressing logically from theoretical background through methodology to outcomes and implications. This format is typical of undergraduate research critique or annotated review assignments.
Introduction and Article Overview
Authors: Saleena, M. and Mavoothu, D.
Year of publication: 2015
Volume, Issue, Pages: 9(3), 38–52
Title of journal: Global Management Review
Article title: "Effects of Career Orientation on Intrapersonal Issues of Re-Entry Women and Their Career Penalty"
Key Issues from the Literature Review
The following three key concepts from the literature review informed the current paper and its research questions.
Intrapersonal re-entry issues are generally understood as deficiencies or shortcomings that exist within women who are returning to the workforce. This concept influenced the paper and its research questions because the study attempts to examine the link between career penalty and the intrapersonal challenges of re-entry. Specifically, factors such as stress, loss of self-esteem, guilt, and conflict are considered important intrapersonal issues experienced by women re-entering the workforce (Kok and Van der Westhuizen, 2003).
Women who take a break from their careers often face declining mobility in both wages and professional status, contributing to reduced earnings growth. Many employers hold biased views toward married women or mothers, perceiving them as less committed to their work or organizations. Career breaks frequently result in wage reductions and diminished promotion prospects for returning women (Staff and Mortimer, 2012). This concept influences the research study because it forms the core objective of measuring the extent to which the career penalty experienced by women executives affects them as they re-enter the labor force following a career break.
Career orientation refers to an individual's work preferences and choices, and the way in which a person aligns themselves within their career over the course of their life. It is important to note that many people develop a pattern of occupational preferences based not only on their interests and values, but also on how they wish to work (Aisenbrey et al., 2009). According to the literature, there is considered to be a strong relationship between career orientation and the career penalty imposed on returning women. The study outlines the role that career alignment plays in the relationship between intrapersonal issues and the career penalty faced by women returning to the workforce (Judge and Livingston, 2008; Gangl and Ziefle, 2009).
Data Collection and Analysis Methods
Participation in the study was voluntary. Data were collected through surveys and questionnaires. The survey was designed to gather information about participants' intrapersonal re-entry concerns. The questionnaire covered career orientation, perceived career penalty, and intrapersonal re-entry issues. To prevent bias, the intrapersonal re-entry measure was administered at the beginning of the questionnaire, before participants responded to other measures.
The study employed statistical techniques including correlation and regression analysis to assess the significance of relationships between independent and dependent variables. For example, a linear regression was conducted to determine the strength of the relationship between career orientation and perceived career penalty. Additionally, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the fit of the proposed model and to assess the impact of the mediating variable.
References
Aisenbrey, S., Evertsson, M. and Grunow, D., 2009. Is there a career penalty for mothers' time out? A comparison of Germany, Sweden and the United States. Social Forces, 88(2), pp.573–605.
Arun, S.V., Arun, T.G. and Borooah, V.K., 2004. The effect of career breaks on the working lives of women. Feminist Economics, 10(1), pp.65–84.
Gangl, M. and Ziefle, A., 2009. Motherhood, labor force behavior, and women's careers: An empirical assessment of the wage penalty for motherhood in Britain, Germany, and the United States. Demography, 46(2), pp.341–369.
Judge, T.A. and Livingston, B.A., 2008. Is the gap more than gender? A longitudinal analysis of gender, gender role orientation, and earnings. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(5), p.994.
Kok, M. and Van der Westhuizen, C.P., 2003. Problems experienced by women re-entering the education profession: A South African case study. South African Journal of Education, 23(1), pp.65–70.
Saleena, M. and Mavoothu, D., 2015. Effects of career orientation on intrapersonal issues of re-entry women and their career penalty. Global Management Review, 9(3), pp.38–52.
Staff, J. and Mortimer, J.T., 2012. Explaining the motherhood wage penalty during the early occupational career. Demography, 49(1), pp.1–21.
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