Traditional Gender Role Attitudes and Job-Hunting in Relation to Well-Being: A Cross-Sectional Study of Japanese Women in Emerging Adulthood

Employment and job-hunting can improve well-being by increasing confidence among emerging adults when equal employment opportunities exist for women and men. However, the relationship between well-being, traditional gender role attitudes, and job-hunting among women in emerging adulthood remains unclear. This study examined the interactions between gender role attitudes and job-hunting in relation to the well-being of emerging adult women. An online survey was conducted in five universities and five companies in Japan. The dependent variable was well-being. The explanatory variables were job-hunting experience within the past 6 months and traditional gender role attitudes measured by the gender role stressor scale. Of the 137 women, we analyzed the data from 132 participants with no missing data. Thirty-five (26.5%) participants were employed and had job-hunting experience. Multiple regression analysis showed that job-hunting experiences were negatively associated with well-being. Additionally, gender role attitudes were not associated with well-being. In the interaction between job-hunting experience and gender role attitudes, the more traditional one’s attitude toward gender roles is, the more negative the relationship between job-hunting experience and well-being. Job-hunting may not necessarily lead to well-being for all women, so women’s attitudes toward gender roles should be considered and respected.