Influence of Sex and Social Class on Occupational Preference and Perception

Abstract

Middle-class boys and lower-class girls expressed a significantly greater preference for white collar and professional occupations than lower-class boys or middle-class girls. Differences in occupational perception were found between middle-and lower-class boys. Occupations perceived by middleand lower-class girls did not differ significantly in status.T HE NEGRO and white boys enrolled in a New York City elementary school were described by Deutsch (1960) as aspiring in an unrealistic way to high prestige occupations such as medicine and engineering. In contrast, the lower-class girls were described as realistic in their aspirations. Negro girls expressed a greater preference for office work than did the white girls, who expressed a greater preference for the role of housewife, while nurse was the modal occupational choice of both groups of girls.The high level of educational and vocational aspiration expressed by some lowerclass children has been characterized by Ausubel and Ausubel (1963) as involving only the appearance rather than the substance of aiming high. In their view, the lower-class child does not perceive the eventual reward of striving and self-denial as actually attainable and fails to acquire the trait components of the middle-class de-

Early Occupational Restriction: An Examination of Elementary School Children's Expression of Vocational Preferences

“…The findings of significant differences between sexes in Grades 1 , 3, and 4 on quantity of occupational preferences and the significance found in Grade 3 on range of occupational preferences are consistent with earlier research indicating that boys mentioned more occupations and a wider range of occupations than did girls (Clark, 1967;Loaft, 1971;Siegel, 1973). The finding of no significant differences between the sexes in some grades is more difficult to interpret.…”

Les variables déterminantes du choix de carrière de l’adolescente

“…En étudiant la relation qui existe entre le choix de carrière des femmes et leur situation socio-économique, ils se sont rendu compte qu'il n'existait en fait aucun rapport direct entre les deux. Clark (1967) soutient qu'il existe des différences entre le choix de carrière que feront des enfants issus de classes sociales différentes. En effet, il constate que 85 pour cent des filles venant d'un milieu défavorisé se dirigent vers les secteurs techniques et semi-professionnels ou les emplois de bureau et que 68 pour cent des filles de la classe moyenne sont attirées par ce genre d'emplois.…”

Origins of Children's Career Aspirations: II. Direct Suggestions as a Method of Transmitting Occupational Preferences

“…Children aspire to the occupations of parents at a high rate (Werts, 1968), and their choices are related to their family's socioeconomic status (Clark, 1967). Children aspire to the occupations of parents at a high rate (Werts, 1968), and their choices are related to their family's socioeconomic status (Clark, 1967).…”