Studies of the moderating effect of social support on the direct effects of occupational stressors have yielded conflicting results that have differed in direction and significance. These differences may have been due to the narrow range and/or poor quality of the measures used. Also, males and females may differ in their perceptions of stress sources and outcomes and their use of social support across stressors. This study used the well-validated Pressure Management Indicator (PMI) to measure social support and eight sources and nine outcomes of occupational stress in a sample of 204 Australian managers (55 per cent females, mean age 41.4 years) from various companies. Multiple regression revealed that for both males and females, social support moderated the effects of stressors on energy levels, job satisfaction, organizational security and organizational commitment, although social support interacted with different stressors across genders. Social support had a significant interaction effect on organizational commitment for males only, and, for females only, a significant interaction effect on state of mind. These results suggest that social support interventions will not reduce the effects of stress on all outcomes, and will produce different results for males and females.

Women's participation in the small business sector is a growing phenomenon worldwide. While considerable research has been conducted into the reasons why women enter small business, and their penchant for operating solo operations or micro businesses (up to five employees), less is known about the heterogeneous nature of women in small business and the reasons behind their``failure'' to``grow'' their businesses. The research reported here concerns a major study into the status of women in small business in Australia. Apart from examining barriers which may prevent women from expanding their businesses, the findings address a new paradigm of women in small business. This paradigm captures the multiple trajectories that women follow in their businesses, the type of businesses that they operate, and their relation to the stages of a woman's/business life cycle. The findings hold important implications for policy makers who are attempting to devise programmes to assist this growing segment of the small business sector.

Following the removal of the age retirement barrier in Australia, it is expected that more older workers will remain in the workforce beyond the age of 65. An important segment of this older workforce is the managerial and professional woman, aged in her 50s and part of the first generation of women to have had a long‐term career. This paper reports on an investigation into the career and life decisions of 33 such women in Perth, Western Australia. The research looked at issues such as career histories and future work goals; impact of ageing process on career achievement, and retirement plans, and also examined the implications of barriers facing the older career woman. The research identified five related career barriers and goes on to examine the management and organisational implications of these barriers. The need to further develop career development models to include the varying circumstances and experiences of older women employees is also discussed.

PurposeTo conduct the first national study in Australia of women in small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises, and to develop a profile of the self‐employed woman and her business to serve as a benchmark for follow‐up research.Design/methodology/approachComprised a self‐administered questionnaire which dealt with a broad range of issues concerning the start‐up and operational aspects of a small to medium‐sized business. The women participants were self‐selected and were obtained through mail‐outs to business and professional networks, and a nation‐wide advertising campaign. Three focus groups were also held to provide more background on some of the findings from the survey.FindingsThe study found a consistency in the characteristics of the women and their businesses, similar to those found at the localised level. A benchmark profile of both the Australian small business woman operator and her business was established.Originality/valueIs the first national Australian study, and provides a benchmark for later studies in the same area.