Career Goals of College Women and Men and Perceived Achievement-Related Encouragement

Abstract

Encouragements and discouragements for achievement‐related behavior were reported in an interview setting by three groups of college seniors: Career women (n = 20), career men (n = 20), and traditional women (n = 19). Career women reported significantly more encouragement from teachers, family members (except parents), and significant others of the opposite sex than did either career men or traditional women. Career women also reported more encouragement from counselors and friends, while career men reported more encouragement from parents; however, these differences were not significant. Career women reported a significantly higher grade point average than either of the other groups. Implications of the results for the achievement behavior of women and men are considered.

A Longitudinal Application of the Theory of Reasoned Action to Women's Career Behavior1

“…A second major predictor of career orientation is the influence of important people in a woman's life. Career-oriented women report more achievement-related encouragement and support from family members, teachers, and significant others of the opposite gender than do less career-oriented women (Stake & Levitz, 1979). Mothers are an important influence on their daughters' career orientation; daughters of employed mothers are more career oriented than are daughters of homemakers (Altman & Grossman, 1977;Bielby & Bielby, 1984).…”

Factors Influencing Canadian High School Girls' Career Motivation

“…Weeks, Wise, and Duncan (1984) decided to study career orientation among young women in terms of a future career plan chosen from four possibilities (full-time homemaker, homemaker plus part-time employment, homemaker plus full-time employment, and career woman with some homemaking). Angrist (1970, 1971) defined career salience as the probability of working under certain conditions, while Stake and Levitz (1979) examined educational goals, jobs one would like to have, and jobs one expected to have, through the use of structured interviews. Recently, Farmer (1985) employed a multidimensional model of career and achievement motivation which included aspiration level, mastery motivation, and career commitment.…”

Perceived Influence of Male Sex Role Identity on Female Partner's Life Choices

“…The women in this study were pursuing graduate degrees with or without male support and may have failed to recognize or report negative influence from their male partners. Stake and Levitz (1979) found that career women were more selectively perceptive of male encouragement and support than were traditional women or career men. Thus, negative and restrictive attitudes or indifference by men may have influenced the women in this study but, as a form of defense by the women, may not have been acknowledged.…”

“…Nontraditional women indicated that social support was particularly important to their pursuit of a career (Hawley, 1972). In addition, women with high achievement goals perceived that significant others, usually men, encouraged their actions (Stake & Levitz, 1979). For college women in general, perception of approval from significant men for career plans was found to be an important predictor of proposed career commitment (Hanley, 1974).…”