Appreciation is expressed to R. Linn for guiding the analyses, to W. Vispoel for assistance with the analyses, and to L. Harmon for helpful editorial comment. Acknowledgment is made to the many persons who assisted in the conduct of this study. Appreciation is also expressed to Robert Dolliver and his editorial consultants for their helpful comments.Requests for reprints should he sent to

This study was part of a longitudinal study of factors related to persistence in a science-related career. Participants (N = 173; 97 women and 76 men) were a subsample of matched participants from the 1980 and 1990 phases of data collection in the midwestern United States who in 1980, while in high school, aspired to a science, math, or technology career. By 1990, 36% of women and 46% of men had persisted in a science-related career. Structural equation model testing indicated that for women persistence was related to the number of elective high school science courses taken and that women who had higher career commitment were more likely to have switched aspirations to another career field. For men, persistence was related to their 1980 and 1990 career aspiration level and needing and obtaining financial support for college. For men these relationships also incorporated the largely indirect effects of high school science grade point average. Implications for counseling include encouraging interested adolescent girls to take elective science courses and nurturing aspiration level in adolescent boys who have science ability and are interested in a science career.

It has long been known that women do not achieve or contribute as much as men in the fields of science, the humanities, and the arts (Astin, l973; Commission on the Status of Women, l970; Maccoby and Jacklin, l974; Rossi and Calderwood, l973) in spite of the fact that they represent over 40 per cent of the professional labor force today (Blitz, l974) and have represented at least 30 percent of the professionals since l890. Fewer women propor tionately rise to the top of their chosen profession, business or trade. Although women represented 40 percent of the professional and technical workers in l974, they represented less than 20 percent of the managers and administrators that year (U.S. Department of Labor, l974) and a majority of these women were elementary school teachers. The dilemma confronted is that women, found to be equally intelligent as men (Maccoby and Jacklin, l974) do not contribute to society through their work in proportion to their participation. Why do women scientists, artists, writers, educators, and social scientists not contribute as much as men? What inhibits their achievement motivation and productivity? The growth of the feminist movement in the l960 's and its continuing expansion in the l970' s has led to a variety of intervention strategies aimed at accelerating equal opportunity for all women (Farmer and Backer, in press). Some of the strategies include legislation, assertivenesŝ his statement was prepared by Helen S.

The purpose of the study is to describe sex differences and similarities in high school students' life plans including both home and career aspirations. Subjects are all 9th and 12th graders in 9 Illinois high schools, balanced on rural, urban and inner-city locations (N = 1,234). Measures are items and scales taken from three longer questionnaires, each of which took 50 minutes to administer. A highlight among findings is that girls in high school are aspiring to higher level careers compared to boys (p < .001). A further finding is that males endorse a life plan that indicates they expect to share parenting and career role responsibilities equally with their future spouses. A surprising finding is that girls, more than boys, endorse statements that indicate that their career role is central to their future adult role. Implications for counseling are discussed, especially a possible lack of realism on the part of students represented by these findings. Counselors are encouraged to conduct discussions on the challenge and opportunity of the dual-career marriage with both boys and girls in high school.

Factors that differentiate women and men who choose a science career from those who do not were investigated using longitudinal data from 1980 and 1990. The participants (N = 459) were ninth or twelfth graders at six midwestern high schools in 1980. Women in science compared to women in other careers were significantly more likely to value math and science for their future career goals, whereas men in science compared to men in other careers had significantly higher high school grade point averages in natural science and higher career aspirations. Not unexpectedly, both women and men in science careers compared to those in nonscience careers took more high school elective science courses because they wanted to, aspired to higher prestige careers as young adults, and attributed their math successes more to their ability. The male model accounted for more than twice the variance accounted for by the female model, and context variables were not predictive for either model. Suggestions for revising the model and improving the assessment of context influences are made. Implications for research and practice include designing and evaluating programs to increase the number of intellectually able girls valuing math and science as these relate to their future goals.