Gender Differences in Children and Adolescents' Perceptions of Influences on Their Career Development.

Abstract

Recent trends in career development theory There is extensive literature on the sig include the acknowledgment of a broad nificance of socialization on the develop range of contextual influences on career ment of the child and younger adolescent, development (McMahon & Patton, 1995; Gender role socialization is one of the Vondracek, Lerner, & Schulenberg, 1986) earliest, and thus potentially one of the and the acceptance of life-span career demost powerful, forms of socialization. The velopment (Super, 1990). Although these effect of gender role socialization is far are accepted concepts, little career develreaching; a significant consequence is that opment research has focused on children young people may only perceive a narrow and adolescents (Phipps, 1995), and it is only gender-based range of future options, par comparati vely recently that a body of litticularly in relation to education and career erature on the influence of gender on caopportunities. Recent research continues reer development has been developed. Sigto show that career preferences are formed nificantly drawing together these two early (Poole & Low, 1985) and continue to underresearched areas, this article exambe influenced by gender (Gerstein, ines gender differences in the career develLichtman, & Barokas, 1993), even after ex opment of children and adolescents. tensive school-based programs that at tempt to change these preferences (Wheelahan & Knowles, 1993). Given the trend to increase the status of