Gender differences in how psychological capital shapes professional commitment

Psychological capital (PsyCap) is widely regarded as an important psychological resource for teachers, yet its association with professional commitment may operate differently across gender groups. Grounded in Social Role Theory, Role Congruity Theory, and the PsyCap framework, this study examined gender differences in the associations among PsyCap, well-being, and professional commitment among junior secondary school teachers in China, with well-being assessed as a potential mediating pathway. Data were collected using the Psychological Capital Questionnaire, the PERMA Scale, and the Professional Commitment Scale, resulting in a final analytical sample of 650 participants. Multigroup structural equation modeling with bootstrap resampling was used to estimate the direct, indirect, and total associations between PsyCap and professional commitment separately for female and male teachers. The results revealed different pathway patterns across the two groups. Among female teachers, PsyCap showed a significant positive direct association with professional commitment, whereas the indirect association through well-being was not statistically significant. Among male teachers, the direct association between PsyCap and professional commitment was negative but not statistically significant based on the bootstrap confidence interval. However, PsyCap showed a significant positive indirect association with professional commitment through well-being, while the total association was not statistically significant. These findings suggest that the estimated role of well-being appeared to differ in the association between PsyCap and professional commitment across gender groups. Given the cross-sectional design, the findings should be interpreted as associations rather than causal effects. Moreover, the study did not directly examine the social, occupational, or policy-related mechanisms underlying the observed gender differences. These findings therefore provide a basis for future longitudinal and intervention research to investigate why the pathways linking PsyCap, well-being, and professional commitment may differ across gender groups and whether teacher-development programs operate differently for female and male teachers.