This document reports on a symposium held to analyze major obstacles hampering the equality of educational opportunity for girls and women and to exchange experiences and information on efforts to remove such obstacles and improve access. The welcoming speech by K. Savolainen is outlined, and other proceedings are briefly discussed. The summary of…

Women are significantly underrepresented in those occupations most highly valued in Western society. To investigate sex role stereotypes as the discriminant variable between female students in male programs and in traditionally female programs, female Israeli vocational high school students (N=1,138) completed the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BRSI),…

In 1977, when women in West Germany (the Fedeal Republic of Germany) got the legal right to be employed outside the family against their husband's will, paragraph 1356 of the Civil Code, defining housework as the woman's duty, was abolished. Until then, heavy social pressure kept women close to home; in most cases, the choice of an outside…

The last four decades have seen a dramatic increase in the number of women entering employment. This is particularly true in Europe and although more European women are working outside the home, the patterns of female employment have changed very little. An analysis of these patterns is presented. It was found that women continue to dominate…

Examined contributions of 4 sex-typed socializations to 6 differences in self-efficacy in l0 male- and l0 female-dominated occupations among male (N=78) and female (N=8l) Japanese undergraduates. Found females in male-dominated occupations had lower self-efficacy, felt they had fewer female role models, considered themselves feminine, and had low…

The Finnish labor market is sharply segregated by sex. Previous research has shown the work of women to be inferior to that of men in that the work of women is less autonomous, allows less freedom for self-regulation and self-determination, is more restricted in space and time, and is more monotonous. This study sought to determine whether the…

Data on male and female senior science undergraduates in nine Canadian universities show substantial gender discrepancies in defection rates and career aspirations, father's occupation as a distinguishing background variable between males and females, and greater likelihood of top women achievers defecting from science than average women…

Criticizes Brandow's article on sex equality in Israel, discussing occupational status of women, women's education, women in the military, duality of religious and secular values and legislation, and role division between husbands and wives. Concludes that Israel's equality of the sexes is marked by gains in societal balance. (AOS)

"SET (Science, Engineering, and Technology) for the Future," a research/action project at Scotland's Heriot-Watt University, surveyed SET students' education experience, compared information with previous research, and used results to modify two SET modules to increase the participation of women students and improve their experiences.…

Since 1997, the key trend in work has been the widening gap between good jobs and bad jobs. CONFINTEA took place in the middle of an international boom in high-tech development, with attendant optimism around creation of a "knowledge economy". While the subsequent crash of this sector is no doubt temporary, it draws attention to the…

This career booklet presents nine short biographies of women who began studying as mature students--after working or staying at home with their families--and were able to develop new careers in the less traditional female areas of work in technology and engineering. Aimed at women in their 30s and 40s, the booklet illustrates ways in which women…

Describes emerging employment markets in the United Kingdom that require information skills, and examines the reasons why librarians and information workers have had little impact on these markets. The need for practical competencies, as well as formal qualifications, is cited as a major reason for this trend. (3 references) (CLB)

Describes a program to improve the low participation of Canadian women in science careers. The peer counseling program encouraged high school senior girls to serve as role models for younger girls and participate in a Women in Science Club which encouraged careers in science and mathematics. (JAC)

A study traced changes in preferred occupation over a period of 5 years, from Year 9 (approximately age 14) to the first year beyond high school, for over 3,000 Australian students in a sample of 22 government schools. Reasons for changes in preference were probed in questionnaires administered annually. Interviews of a subsample of students and…

This report focuses on the particular problems faced by girls and young women during the transition from school to adult and working life. It begins with a brief description of what these special problems are. Chapters 2-5 analyze different responses by pilot projects in Europe to these problems. Because their actions were normally an integral…