Boot the Boot - Marital Status

Marital Status

There were 37 single workers in this study and 31 married workers. A t test was conducted comparing the mean number of positive statements by single workers to the mean number of positive statements by married workers on each of the twenty-four categories. The significant results are displayed in Table 5.

As shown in Table 5, out of the twenty-four categories, there were significant differences between single and married workers on four categories: Bonuses, Co-Workers, Medical, and Overtime. The t values were significantly different at the .05 level for both Bonuses and Medical but only for an alpha of .10 for Co-Workers and for Overtime. Further examination of sample means indicates that in all four cases, married workers yielded a significantly higher mean number of positive statements on these categories than did single workers.

In the Mexican culture, being married involves a greater responsibility in regards to providing for oneself and a family. Hofstede's dimension of collectivism clearly portrays the Mexican culture and its focus on the family. Categories like bonuses, medical, and overtime indicate more resources that can assist in providing necessities for the family. When an organization is providing these opportunities, the workers will be more than appreciative and indicated that in their responses. Married workers have additional responsibilities and do not have the option of quitting if unhappy. For instance, this married worker states the following, "It's not that if we like it, but it is a necessity. The necessities that each one of us has. As for me, I have kids in school and family in other states. (when asked if he likes the job)." This worker cannot just leave a job, while single workers will be more willing to take the chance for another opportunity if he/she is unhappy. The "Co-worker" variable also indicated differences between the two groups. Married women, in particular, look forward to their time at work, mostly to maintain relations with other women. A married woman when asked what she liked about her job stated the following, "I get along with my coworkers and my supervisor. I look forward to coming to work because of my friends." Married women, in particular are appreciative of good co-worker relationships and will happily convey that.

Number of Dependents

The independent variable, Number of Dependents, contained four classifications: workers with 0 dependents, workers with 1 dependent, workers with 2 dependents, and workers with 3 or more dependents. Forty-three of the workers had 0 dependents, thirteen had 1 dependent, ten had 2 dependents, and nine had 3 or more dependents. One-way ANOVA's were conducted comparing the mean number of positive statements by each of these four groups on each of the twenty-four categories. In