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Individual Task Choice and the Division of Challenging Tasks Between Men and Women
Irene E. De Pater1*,
Annelies E. M. Van Vianen1,
Ronald H. Humphrey2,
Randall G. Sleeth2,
Nathan S. Hartman3,
and
Agneta H. Fischer1
1 University of Amsterdam
2 Virginia Commonwealth University
3 John Carroll University
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: i.e.depater{at}uva.nl.
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Abstract |
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Challenging experiences are considered important for career development, and previous studies have suggested that women have fewer o f those experiences in their jobs than men have. However, the nature and possible determinants of this gender gap in job challenge have hardly been empirically studied. In the present study, the authors examine (a) gender differences in individuals choice to perform challenging tasks and (b) gender differences in the allocation of challenging tasks in opposite-sex dyads. Results show that the men and women in the sample did not differ in their individual choice to perform challenging tasks, but after task allocation in opposite-sex dyads men ended up with more of the challenging tasks, whereas women ended up with more of the nonchallenging tasks. The authors discuss the possible consequences of these results for womens career development.
First published on January 30, 2009, doi:10.1177/1059601108331240
Group & Organization Management 2009;34:563.
A more recent version of this article appeared on October 1, 2009

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