A study has found that a spouse's personality can influence career success; those who had a conscientious spouse had a higher rate of occupational success.
In an effort to gauge whether these spousal personality traits might be seeping into the workplace, they tracked the on-the-job performance of working spouses using annual surveys designed to measure occupational success — self-reported opinions on job satisfaction, salary increases and the likelihood of being promoted.
Workers who scored highest on measures of occupational success tended to have a spouse with a personality that scored high for conscientiousness, and this was true whether or not both spouses worked and regardless of whether the working spouse was male or female, the study found.
Jackson and Solomon also tested several theories for how a spouse’s personality traits, especially conscientiousness, might influence their partner’s performance in the workplace. Their findings suggest that having a conscientious spouse contributes to workplace success in three ways.
First, through a process known as outsourcing, the working spouse may come to rely on his or her partner to handle more of the day-to-day household chores, such as paying bills, buying groceries and raising children. Workers also may be likely to emulate some of the good habits of their conscientious spouses, bringing traits such as diligence and reliability to bear on their own workplace challenges. Finally, having a spouse that keeps your personal life running smoothly may simply reduce stress and make it easier to maintain a productive work-life balance.
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday September 21 2014, @06:17AM
It's like the '50's all over again.
Because it's a lot easier to be conscientious when you can sit around for most of the day eating bon-bons and watching soap-operas, the hardest part of your day having been picking the kids up from school or doing laundry.
(Score: 2) by lhsi on Sunday September 21 2014, @08:45AM
From the summary:
I suspect "working spouce" may have been an ambiguous term.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 21 2014, @09:18AM
No the hardest part of the day is not fucking your neighbor 'stay-at-home dad', milkman, or mailman. That's why ethical spouse helps you focus on work.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by b on Sunday September 21 2014, @06:39AM
Or, correlation doesn't equate with causation, and people that are successful at work chose conscientious spouses.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday September 21 2014, @10:46AM
"oops" didn't think of that :D
Perhaps it's so that only people successful at work are selected by conscientious people for a relation.
Guess the research shows the steady state but not how to get there ..
(Score: 2, Interesting) by b on Sunday September 21 2014, @10:52AM
That's another plausible explanation!
Popular media confuses correlation and causation much too frequently…
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday September 21 2014, @11:27AM
Don't assume media have a clue at all :P
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Monday September 22 2014, @05:58AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DrMag on Sunday September 21 2014, @02:26PM
For those who may not be familiar with the meaning of a not-often-used English word [reference.com]:
adjective
1. controlled by or done according to one's inner sense of what is right; governed by conscience; principled:
2. careful and painstaking; particular; meticulous; scrupulous:
I suspect TFA is using the second definition from the context, but it's not written in such a way as to be unambiguous about their meaning. They could be using the word wrong, even, because there could be another link in here entirely that's being ignored; a person who does well with ensuring tasks are completed and completed well will also likely be the type of person who takes an active interest in their spouse's activities. I find I'm much more productive at anything I do when someone I care about genuinely wants to be a part of it.
So did TFA mean a person performs better when a spouse is conscious of their efforts?
(Score: 2) by frojack on Sunday September 21 2014, @09:15PM
Same questions ran through my mind. For what general term were they substituting the politically acceptable or correct "Conscientious"?
Is there anywhere this term is used routinely? Certainly not in the US where the study was done.
One hint, left to the very end of the TFA is this:
this study suggests that people with ambitious career goals may be better served to seek supportive partners with highly conscientious personalities.
My best guess it is a combination your Number 1 (above) and being "supportive" to the studied spouse.
A high dose of self directing so that the studied spouse does not have to worry about running the household.
This just sounds like "conscientious" is a politically correct euphemism for "obedient home maker type".
I don't put much stock in their assertion that 75% of their study had both spouses are working.
We don't know who has career vs who just brings in some income, vs a balanced load sharing arrangement.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1) by pnkwarhall on Monday September 22 2014, @12:45AM
a person who does well with ensuring tasks are completed and completed well will also likely be the type of person who takes an active interest in their spouse's activities.>/quote> I then wrote-off the rest of the study as "duh, thanks for another no-brainer, Modern Science".
Lift Yr Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
(Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Monday September 22 2014, @09:45AM
Cool! This means I can go home from work and blame all my work problems on the other half!