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

Brea L. Perry, Edward W. Morris, Tanja C. Link and Carl Leukefeld
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Brea L. Perry: Department of Sociology, Indiana University, Ballantine Hall 744, 1020 East Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
Edward W. Morris: Department of Sociology, University of Kentucky, 1569 Patterson Office Tower, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
Tanja C. Link: Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice, Kennesaw State University, 402 Bartow Ave, Kennesaw, GA 30144, USA
Carl Leukefeld: Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky, 111 Medical Behavioral Science Building, Lexington, KY 40506, USA

Social Sciences, 2016, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: career aspirations; gender differences; masculinity; intersectionality; middle school (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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