Career development and counselling for women: Connecting theories to practice

Women's career development is more complex than that of men due to a number of internal and external barriers, including early gender-role orientation, employment inequities, and family responsibilities, which both complicate and restrict women's career choices and advancement. This paper attempts to examine the application of career development theoretical models in the context of career development and counselling for women. It begins with a discussion of some of the internal and external barriers associated with North American women's career development. It then briefly reviews some of the key tenets from three career development theories, namely, Gottfredson's theory of circumscription, compromise, and self-creation, Super's life-span, life-space theory, and the social cognitive career theory (SCCT) in relation specifically to women's career development experiences. The paper concludes with considerations of intervention strategies that aim to address the particular needs of women, including essential aspects such as the counsellor's knowledge and skill, and relevant helping approaches and methods that pertain to the career welfare of female clients.