Perceived job insecurity among dual‐earner couples: Do its antecedents vary according to gender, economic sector and the measure used?

The aim of the study was to examine the experience and the antecedent factors of job insecurity in dual‐earner couples in Finland. The data were obtained by questionnaire from a sample of 387 married or cohabiting dual‐earner couples in Spring 1999. Job insecurity was defined from three viewpoints: job uncertainty, the worry over job continuity, and the probability of job‐related changes. The results showed that the experience and the antecedents of job insecurity varied according to the economic sector, gender and the scale used. Generally, perceived job insecurity was more common in the private than in the public sector. Female partners were more uncertain about their job future than male partners. Psychosocial job and organizational characteristics (e.g. low job control, poor organizational communication) were the most significant predictors of job insecurity, and personal characteristics (e.g. high job involvement, low self‐esteem) best predicted only the emotional aspects (i.e. worry) linked to job loss. Only a modest bidirectional crossover effect between partners was found. Perceived economic stress crossed over from one partner to another: if the man experienced a high degree of economic stress, his partner's job insecurity level was elevated and vice versa.