Examining the Effects of Sex, Relative Human Capital, and Sex Composition on Voluntary Turnover

Prior work has demonstrated the presence of sex differences in employee turnover, but much remains unknown about how these differences are manifested. The present study examined the influence of relative human capital (i.e., an employee’s relative job tenure compared to departmental colleagues) and unit sex composition on differences in voluntary turnover. Drawing from status characteristics, human capital theories, and work on relational demography, we posited that existing sex differences in turnover would be attenuated among employees possessing higher relative organizational tenure and/or working in settings where their sex was better represented. Within a sample of 15,165 employees across 2,886 store departments of a large U.S. retail organization, we found that women turned over at significantly lower rates than men, especially among personnel with higher relative job tenure who worked in predominately-female departments. The research and practical implications of these findings are discussed in lig...