The Psychology of Working: A Case Study of Mexican American Women With Low Educational Attainment

Abstract

Using Blustein's (2006) psychology of working and Hackman and Oldham's (1975) job characteristics theory, the authors investigated the job attribute preferences of Mexican American women with low educational attainment. They used content analysis to code and analyze the interview transcripts of 27 women. The most valued job attributes were not only those associated with survival and power but also those that incorporated aspects of social connection and self-determination, including autonomy, the opportunity to help others, the opportunity to use one's existing abilities, and the opportunity to learn. Understanding the preferences of this group of women can help career counselors and managers to be more effective in working with these women.

Career Experiences of Women With Major Financial Barriers

“…Eight of 10 participants identified that a primary reason to engage in work was survival; that is, they must work in order to earn money to support themselves. This theme has been previously noted in the literature (e.g., Blustein, , ; Guererro & Singh, ). Danielle expressed that working meets basic needs for survival: “You just have to go to work.…”

“…For some participants, working was a means to connect with others outside of the home ( n = 5). This theme was rarely expressed in the data but is supported by previous literature (Blustein, , ; Guerrero & Singh, ). Victoria expressed the social connection enabled by engaging in work:…”

“…Guerrero and Singh () explored the unique career experiences of Mexican American women with low educational attainment (LEA), the only qualitative study exploring the career experiences of women with financial barriers and/or LEA. The results of the study, based on Blustein's () psychology of working theory, found that the women with LEA valued five themes in relation to their work: survival and power, social connection, autonomy, self‐determination, and prestige (Guerrero & Singh, ). Participants' survival needs were met by their work; however, participants did not experience power in the workplace.…”

“…Effective career development interventions, theories, and assessments have been shown to support the career development of women, but the career counseling literature lacks depth in both demographic areas of socioeconomic status (SES) and gender (Coogan & Chen, ; Lee et al, ). Also, the intersecting factors of gender and SES affect an individual's career development (Guerrero & Singh, ).…”

Cultural Trailblazers: Exploring the Career Development of Latina First‐Generation College Students

“…Little research has explored the career development of this college population, likely because of a long history of oppression experienced by Latina women and their traditionally low educational attainment (Guerrero & Singh, 2013). With a historical lack of success in higher educational institutions, valuable information about these students has yet to be shared with counselors, researchers, educators, career advisors, or career development professionals.…”