Theory Into Practice in Career Assessment for Women: Assessment and Interventions Regarding Perceived Career Barriers

Abstract

This article discusses how theory may be translated into practice in assessing women's perceived career barriers. It describes a theoretical perspective that is useful in considering the construct of perceived barriers, namely, social cognitive career theory (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994), and summarizes the empirical literature regarding barriers, with particular attention to practical applications of the evidence. It then discusses how counselors might assess women's perceived barriers during career counseling and possible counseling interventions to address clients' identified barriers.A major purpose of assessment in career counseling is to identify characteristics of the client that relate either to individual difference variables-abilities, interests, values-or to the career choice processcareer indecision, career maturity, self-efficacy (Betz, 1992). One such characteristic is a client's perceptions of barriers to making and implementing a career choice. Understanding the barriers that interfere with the client's career development process is important in determining whether the client has considered the full range of available career options, the effectiveness of his or her decision-making skills, and the factors that may influence the implementation of a client's career choice.The concept of career-related barriers first appeared in discussions of the factors that are unique to the career psychology of women. Barriers were postulated as a construct to explain the gap between women's abilities and their achievements or to explain the inhibition of women's career aspirations

Career Aspirations of Women in the 20th Century

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Barriers to Career Advancement of Women Managers in Indian Five Star Hotels: A Gender Perspective

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“…Les obstacles, intégrés plus récemment dans la TSCC (Lent & Brown, 2006a), sont définis comme «les événements ou les conditions personnels ou contextuels rendant difficile la progression de carrière» (Lent et al, 2000;Swanson & Woitke, 1997). Ils exercent un effet via un processus d'attribution causale et la perception de contrôle (coping efficacy) qui en résulte (Albert & Luzzo, 1999;Lent et al, 2003;Luzzo & McWhirter, 2001).…”