Essay About Role Of Gender Stereotypes And Career Preferences

The Role of Gender Stereotypes in Choice of OccupationEssay Preview: The Role of Gender Stereotypes in Choice of OccupationReport this essayThe Role of Gender Stereotypes in Choice of OccupationTable of contentsAbstractTitleIntroductsionBackgroundAim and HypothesisMethods and EthicsResultsDiscussionReferencesAppendicesQuestionnaireTables on career preferencesFigure 1: Important career aspects for malesFigure 2: Important career aspects for femalesTables on career aspectsGENDER STEREOTYPES IN THE CHOICE OF OCCUPATIONAbstractThis research is looking into the history of gender stereotypes in terms of the occupation choice. The author tries to find out whether the stereotypes exist in modern society via survey and analysis of its results. During the research a hypotheses was set and found its partial conformation in the results, namely the gender stereotypes are real. The author devoted special attention to the ethical issues of the survey, which also caused a great impact on the results.

TitleA study of the influence of gender stereotypes on the occupational and career choices of males and females by understanding their explicit and implicit career preferences

IntroductionIn the modern society, particularly in developed countries, it is almost considered as given, that there is no more place for gender segregation. Both genders tend to be equal, however these achievements appear to be relatively recent, assumingly that is why some stereotypes take place. According to Zafar (2013), the movement of female workers into the labor force in Europe steadily increased in the last thirty years, although this has not been matched by a similar number of women who occupy prestigious and powerful career roles in their respective fields. While theoretically, all careers should be equally available to females and males, various studies have shown that this is not perceived as being realistic by both genders. Gupta et al. (2014) showed that traditional gendered social roles were crucial in determining accepted norms for women and men, which encouraged gender differences in their activities and interests. In addition, Alon and DiPreteb (2015) found that traditional gender roles determined desirable behaviors and qualities for women and men, which led to perpetuation and sustenance of occupational-related gender stereotypes. Along with influences like socio-economic level and race prejudices, gender stereotypes have been implicated into people’s lives influencing family institution and career role importance via the processes of self-regulation and confirmation (Alon & DiPreteb, 2015).

This research sought to investigate the influence of gender stereotypes in the choice of careers by both genders. More specifically, the study sought to elicit direct responses on career preferences for both males and females, as well as indirect responses based on the participants’ preferences for different career aspects, such as analytical vs. artistic paths preferences.

BackgroundPsychologists believe that most of the stereotypes gained by people are acquired in childhood. Wang et al. (2013) stated that girls and boys internalize occupational stereotypes in the young age. Children have the ability to sort careers into masculine or feminine at a young age, but the classification (used by children) is similar with the classification, that is used by the adults. Accordingly, these gendered stereotypes that girls and boys internalize during the process of socialization via the media and parents lead both women and men to take up gender-appropriate stereotypical career choices. Mutekwe and Modiba (2012) further noted that occupational-related gender stereotypes had a significant impact on the decision-making process for career choices, arguing that there was a need for researchers to study the context within which these choices were made. However, despite the fact that gender stereotypes portend similar influence on the occupational choice for men and women, the effect is more detrimental for females because the stereotypes limit their occupations to less prestigious and lower paid choices. Indeed, Buccheri et al. (2011) argued that the theories of identity foreclosure and circumscription suggested that gender role socialization prematurely eliminated potential occupational chances, which left them with less optimal aspirations. That is exactly how the absorbed in the childhood ‘traditions’ could bring harm.

The ‘bad’ influence does not stop in the youth, when people become more experienced. Steffens and Jelenec (2011) found that the tendency for males and females to select occupations that are traditionally compatible with their gender was also visible in their college years. In this case, males have more interest in physical science and math majors than females, whereas females are more interested in humanities, arts, and education majors compared to males. In another study, Petersen and Hyde (2014) found that women and men have significant differences in their vocational interests with males tending to show more interest in enterprising, investigating, and realistic fields whereas females showing more interest in conventional, social, and artistic fields. Moreover, these tendencies for males and females gravitate towards traditional stereotypical preferences, based on gender, strengthen after they finish college, in which the aspirations of women to raise a family tends to encourage them to shift towards occupational fields that are more traditional. However, Cerinsek et al. (2013) argued that differences in career preferences between males and women could not be attributed to variations in their competence, concluding that gendered occupational choices prevailed despite a lack of perceived or actual competence in science or math. The author of this study firmly believed that the gender stereotype affect career choice a lot, which formed an aim and bred an assumption.

The Gender-Equalization of Male-Women-Girls

The gender stereotype has affected our notions of gender as a whole, which, in turn, has affected our perceptions of “good and evil” in female-dominated industries, like manufacturing and construction. This is not surprising given that the perception of “natural” and “male” physical characteristics is much more prevalent in women than in men (Schott & McAllister, 2004). In fact, many of the characteristics most commonly used by female-dominated fields are found in male-dominated industries such as consumer finance, pharmaceutical, energy, pharmaceutical companies, and other industry settings. Therefore, as the gender stereotype has dominated our perceptions of how women might feel about their careers in various settings, it was a logical way to address these issues.

A key question posed to researchers by the authors of this work is for how females would feel about careers in these industries. A more complete answer would be that male males in general have little interest in their careers (Ackerman, 1997), as these careers are very “natural for men that are either non-traditional, or very feminine for men.” Indeed, many of the “feminine” fields in the male-dominated industries fall into this category, with many preferring careers that are traditionally male-dominated, often in line with the stereotypical gender norms. It is important to acknowledge that, as such, the question of male-dominated career choices is not only important, but crucial for the understanding among science faculty, and the evaluation of the role of academic excellence in understanding and understanding the role of women, among the many industries and societies that employ and support these gender stereotypes.

In doing so, we can also make better use of the studies cited above to help address these issues. In addition, as mentioned earlier, one of the most important ways that we may address these gender stereotypes is by focusing on research that supports the importance of gender in the life of males and females. For example, studies that focus primarily on the “social and cultural contexts” that influence the outcomes of career choices for women may be helpful for understanding gender stereotypes when evaluating men’s careers. For example, in women’s research, it is often mentioned that the “mothership” or the role of a male in the family, which could be an important factor in helping male-dominated careers, can also be more salient to women than are other factors. This seems to be the case with the use of gender stereotypes in the research, since male-dominated careers have been linked to social, cultural, and economic success among women. Yet, much of the gender-based differences in male-dominated careers for women are largely unknown in their research and have historically been largely ignored by men. In contrast, research focusing on the social norms and gender roles associated with professional and vocational careers for boys has also been reported to be in line with this study in that it relies heavily on academic research that addresses the importance of gender in the lives of boys and girls. In short, in the face of the cultural norms that exist within male-dominated work environments, male-dominated careers might be in a similar situation where that same norms prevail among women.

Why does the gender stereotype also affect what the women of this field perceive? In general, while studies show that the gender stereotype affects the perception of gender in various fields, none of these studies explicitly explain why and whether the female-dominated field is perceived to be more masculine or feminine. Perhaps this is because the gender stereotypes affect the general and personal perception of women—for example,