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Explaining Turnover Intention in State Government

Examining the Roles of Gender, Life Cycle, and Loyalty

University of Wisconsin–Madison, dmoynihan{at}Lafollette.wisc.edu

Noel Landuyt

The University of Texas at Austin, nlanduyt{at}austin.utexas.edu

This article tests a model of turnover intention on a large sample of Texas state employees focusing on four issues. First, the findings support a life cycle stability hypothesis, which suggests that age, experience, and geographic preferences reduce turnover intention, an effect compounded by economic/familial constraints for primary wage earners and members of large households. Second, contrary to previous research, the results show that females are significantly less likely to state an intention to quit. This finding reflects changing patterns of labor force participation, as well as the particular advantages that the public sector offers female employees. Third, the results distinguish between the relative contributions of three overlapping concepts: organizational loyalty, voice, and empowerment. Organizational loyalty and empowerment reduce turnover intention, but voice is not a significant factor. Finally, the article provides a detailed test of different personnel policies, providing particular support for diversity policies.

Key Words: turnover • loyalty • gender • human resource management • diversity

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