From Athletes to Astrophysicists: Gender Differences in Patterns and Predictors of Career Aspirations in Pre-Adolescence.

Autor: Perry BL; Department of Sociology, Indiana University, Ballantine Hall 744, 1020 East Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA., Morris EW; Department of Sociology, University of Kentucky, 1569 Patterson Office Tower, Lexington, KY 40506, USA., Link TC; Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice, Kennesaw State University, 402 Bartow Ave, Kennesaw, GA 30144, USA., Leukefeld C; Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky, 111 Medical Behavioral Science Building, Lexington, KY 40506, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Social sciences (Basel, Switzerland) [Soc Sci (Basel)] 2016 Mar; Vol. 5 (1). Date of Electronic Publication: 2016 Jan 28.
DOI: 10.3390/socsci5010005
Abstrakt: This paper adds to research on girls' growing educational advantage by examining gender differences in career paths. Using baseline data from an intervention study (TRY-IT!) targeting 265 sixth-graders in Title I schools, our research traces adolescent career aspirations by gender, race and class. Additionally, we investigate whether girls and boys exhibit differential sensitivity to environmental risk and protective factors that shape career and educational aspirations. We find that the career choices of boys vary more widely by social context, including socioeconomic status, race, and academic resources. Specifically, among youth with fewer social and academic advantages, girls aspire to more practical careers and careers which require higher levels of educational attainment relative to boys. The findings reveal how sources of inequality such as race and class shape gendered aspirations and complicate gender inequality. We reason that boys' choices are more volatile and socially contingent because of the emphasis on high-status careers as a signifier of masculinity.
Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Databáze: MEDLINE
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