THE EFFECT OF MALE ATTITUDES ON THE CAREER ORIENTATION, ROLE CHOICE, AND ASPIRATIONS OF ADOLESCENT FEMALES
Abstract
The present study examined the effects of male attitudes on the career orientation, traditional versus nontraditional career role choice, and direction of career aspirations of 126 females over the four-year period from the freshman to the senior year in college. The Career Orientation Scale was used to measure subjects' intention to maintain an attachment to the labor force. The Career Aspirations Questionnaire assessed subjects' traditional versus nontraditional career role choice, and the direction of subjects' career aspirations. The Career Encouragement Scale assessed the extent to which males were perceived to be encouraging of subjects pursuing career goals. The Male Nurturance Scale assessed the degree to which subjects perceived males to be nurturing figures. Treiman's Standard Scale of Occupational Prestige was used to measure paternal work status. It was predicted that male attitudes and paternal work status would influence subjects' career orientation, career role choice, and career aspiration level. While subjects reported on relationships with a variety of significant males, only fathers and boyfriends were reported on in sufficient numbers to yield meaningful data. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were used to examine the contribution of father and boyfriend variables to the prediction of the dependent variables, and to compare the relative influence of fathers and boyfriends on subjects' career decisions. Father encouragement was significantly and positively associated with subjects' career orientation, while father nurturance was significantly and negatively associated with subjects' career orientation. Boyfriend attitudes did not predict career orientation. Paternal work status and father nurturance were significantly and positively associated with career role. Boyfriend encouragement was also significantly associated with career role, but, unexpectedly, in a negative direction. When father effects and boyfriend effects were compared, boyfriend encouragement proved to be the most meaningful predictor of career role. These findings, as well as the finding that male teachers were not perceived to have influenced subjects' career decisions, have strong implications for the future role of school psychologists.
Subject Area
Social psychology
Recommended Citation
BRANDES, ZITA JUDITH MILLER, "THE EFFECT OF MALE ATTITUDES ON THE CAREER ORIENTATION, ROLE CHOICE, AND ASPIRATIONS OF ADOLESCENT FEMALES" (1982). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI8213599.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI8213599
