Understanding one's personal journey provides for effective learning, growth, and development (Madsen, 2010). Reflection on the influences and experiences of successful women leaders is essential to understanding the factors that have enabled them to obtain and sustain leadership positions in nontraditional career fields. The purpose of this…

A feminist content analysis of 81 films was conducted as a means to assist mental health practitioners in guiding the career choices of young women and to explore the possibilities for change through this medium. The review of the 117 lead female characters revealed themes including: the idea that relationships should be secondary to careers in…

In this chapter, the author explores and compares the work experiences of women faculty in fields of different gender compositions with data from three National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF: 1993, 1999, and 2004) surveys. By examining the influence of a wide range of factors, this study provides a comprehensive picture of the work…

One educator's attempt to pique girls' interest in nontraditional careers in the Seattle School District led to the creation of the now-international nonprofit IGNITE (Inspiring Girls Now in Technology Education). From its humble beginnings, IGNITE has impacted the lives of more than 20,000 girls, with thousands more across the globe each year.…

All-girl engineering workshops are increasing in popularity as a means to attract females into the male-dominated field of engineering. However, the effectiveness of such workshops as a recruitment tool is unclear. This report summarizes several research studies on this topic with the intent of showing the effectiveness of such workshops and other…

The purpose of this article is to review the extant literature on women in skilled trades and construction to identify specific gaps in our knowledge of the career development processes and needs of this understudied and underserved population. Our aim is to stimulate the interest of scholars and their engagement in research and practice relevant…

Men are choosing to enter nontraditional careers with greater frequency. In this article, the authors examine nontraditional career choices made by men and review current empirical literature relevant to this topic. Gottfredson's (1981, 1996) theory of circumscription and compromise and Holland's (1997) career choice theory are used as frameworks…

The purpose of this article is to review the literature related to men who pursue nontraditional career choices such as gender atypical occupations outside the home or being stay-at-home fathers. Key foundational findings and current studies that provide information about what factors influence men's pursuit of nontraditional careers both in the…

This study explores, within the framework of the literature on men in nontraditional occupations, why men choose to enter the gendered career field of family and consumer sciences (FCS) education and their experiences as FCS teachers. A better understanding of this contemporary phenomenon may facilitate men filling the national shortage of FCS…

The horizontal segregation of the workforce along gender lines tends to assign women to lower paid, lower status employment. Consequently, schemes to address segregation have focused on preparing women to enter non-traditional occupations through training and development processes. This article examines models to encourage women into…

The literature suggests that individuals, while agreeing that nontraditional occupations are appropriate for others, do not see them as appropriate for themselves. (JOW)

Purpose: This paper aims to report findings from a North East (of England) study co-financed by the European Social Fund and the Learning and Skills Council to explore the issues around the provision of vocational training for women in Northumberland, focusing on the construction, engineering and manufacturing sectors. The aim of the research was…

This study explores the perceptions of male librarians working in an academic library. Underpinning the methodology of this paper is a series of in depth interviews conducted over several years with a group of selected male librarians. This paper suggests that the meanings constructed by male librarians in the non-traditional work environment have…

Discusses the problems faced by women entering nontraditional occupations. Includes an annotated list of resources. (JOW)

Discusses implications for career counseling of men and women in nontraditional occupations. Reviews two studies on occupational innovators which suggested that nontraditional employees described themselves as less sex typed than others. Discusses implications for career counseling with adolescents. (JAC)