Value Pattern of Bangladeshi Working Male and Female as a Function of Attitudes, Personality and Age

Abstract

The present study attempt at investigating value pattern of working male and working female in Bangladesh. For this purpose, the similarities and differences of Value pattern of working male and working female in relation to sociopolitical attitudinal variable i.e. conservatism-progressivism, personality variable i.e. spheres of control personality and internal-external control factors within the frame work of socio-cultural background have been investigated. The study has been developed in the line of (i) Rokeach 's Human Value Model (ii) Theoretical Approach 's of Conservatism-Progressivism attitudes (iii) Theoretical Approach 's to the Study of Cognitive Approach, Expectancy Value and Personality (iv) Role behavior: working male and working female and Intergenerational gap. All these approaches have been utilized in order to show similarities and differences of value pattern of working male and working female of older and younger generations. The present study uses a correlational approach with a criterion group design. The study was conducted on two phases. In the first phase, criterion groups of working male and working female were selected for measuring gender differences on the basis of ''personal information sheet". The criterion group of each working person was further subdivided in to two groups i.e. older and younger working generations were selected for measuring age differences. In the second phase, the criterion groups were given measures of (i) Rokeach's Value Inventory (Ara's Bangali Verson) (ii) Conservatism-Progressivism Attitudes (Ara's modified form and Bengali version) (iii) Internal-External Control of Personality. ( Ara's Bengali Version) (iv) Paul us Spheres of Control Personality (Ara’s and Sharmin 's Bengali version) . The study utilized two samples drawn from two cultural backgrounds. One from Dhaka and the other from Rajshahi in Bangladesh. Each sample was composed of 120 respondents equally divided into working male and working female. Again each sample was subdivided into older and younger generation. Thus, the sample was composed of240 respondents. All the respondents were from Muslim, Hindu and Christian community. The main objectives of the present study were to make an empirical investigation of value pattern as reflected in attitude and personality of working male and working female of Dhaka and Rajshahi. Thus, the specific objectives of the present study were as follows: 1. A comparative study of value pattern of differences and similarities of working male and working female of Bangladesh as related to terminal and instrumental values. 2. A comparative study of value pattern of differences and similarities of working male and working female as related to some important socio-political attitudes (like religiosity, violence, nationalism, social change, democracy, minority attitudes and women emancipation) in the conservatism-progressivism continuums. 3. A comparative study of value pattern of differences and similarities of working male and working female as related to the personality variables of 1-E control and spheres of control. 4. A comparative study of value pattern of differences and similarities of working male and working female of older male-female and younger male- female of Bangladesh related to values, socio-political attitudes and personality variables. 5. A comparative study of the value pattern of working male and working female irrespective of age differences. Five specific hypotheses were formulated for this study is given below: Hi: It is hypothesized that working male would differ significantly from working female on some terminal values as well as instrumental values. H2 : It is hypothesized that working female would be more conservative as compared to working male on C-P score. H3: It is hypothesized that working female would be more internally controlled as compared to working male on the personality variables of 1-E control and spheres of control. H4: It is hypothesized that younger working male and female would differ significantly from over working male and female on values, sociopolitical attitudes and personality variable. H5: It is hypothesized that working female would differ significantly from working male on the pattern of value preferences. Analysis of data has been divided into three parts. In the first part, inter group and intra group differences on values, sociopolitical attitudinal variables and personality variables has been computed by univariate method using t-test for each variable separately. In that second part, Pearson's product moment correlations were computed to find out inter group and intra group similarities o;, conservatism-progressivism attitudes, spheres of control and internal-external' control. lit the third part, factor a,udy3is of value pattern were computed by using Kaiser’s principal method of oblique rotation for working male and working female were computed separately. This multivariate corrcletional matrix intended to generate structural properties of values leading to the identification of similarities and dissimilarities of value pattern between gender differences. Similar multivariate correlational matrix intended to generate structural properties of values leading to the identification of some common and uncommon factorial. Pattern between two genders. Results obtained strongly supported the hypotheses. It showed that value-pattern were considerably moderated by conservatism-progressivism spheres of control personality and internal-external control of personality factors. One of the important findings reflected through the factor analysis of values was the distinct value-pattern for working male and working female, which might be assumed to be caused by cultural variations. The findings of the present study are explainable by Rokeach's human value model, socio-political attitudinal approach, cognitive approach of expectancy value and personality, role behavior of gender and age differences approach. An attempt has also been made to integrate all these approaches in to a new theoretical perspective in which value pattern have been moderated by attitude and personality. The study has emphasized political, cultural, and occupational environmental factors as the determinants of value pattern, which has enormous effect on attitudes and personality factors of working male and working female in the present context of Bangladesh.