Assessed the relationship between sex-role orientation, self-esteem, and occupational choice among college women, classified as being in either feminine-typed or masculine-typed occupational fields. Results indicated feminine-typed group members had higher self-esteem than masculine-typed group members. Masculine women in the masculine…

Investigated the influence of sex role self concept on the choice of college major/career in 186 students. Results showed both sexes chose their major for traditional reasons (e.g., status, service) and placed little importance on considerations of sex appropriateness. Personal interests were more influential than future marriage plans. (JAC)

This study describes the efforts of one sociology department to both discover and expand career opportunities for sociology majors in nontraditional areas. Potential employers in business and industry most frequently indicated that they could envision using sociology majors in people-management areas such as personnel, labor relations, and…

The present experiment failed to replicate a widely-cited sexist bias in people's evaluations of occupations that was originally reported by Touhey (1974). College students (N=303) did not downgrade the prestige of masculine professions or upgrade that of feminine professions when told that the proportion of other-sex (i.e., minority)…

Survey of 100 female and 100 male college students revealed that female students entering nontraditional career areas still experience greater conflict between the importance of their work and home values than do men in the same occupational majors. Yet, the two sexes share many similarities in their career-related values and values toward home…

Because of the difficulty that recent graduates with advanced history degrees have finding employment, universities are implementing public history programs which educate historians for nontraditional jobs, e.g., careers with public service agencies or government. One such program, the Western Washington University Graduate Program in Archival and…

Examined precollege data for men and women students (N=632) who successfully completed nontraditional and traditional (for women) college study. Results showed few differences between men and women in high school who subsequently graduate in the same field. Differences were shown in mechanical reasoning ability, and technical versus service…

Investigated effects of perceived job availability for women and sex role orientation on college women's evaluations of highly prestigious male-dominated occupations. Subjects wanted to pursue occupations with good job availability for women and expected the most intellectual stimulation and approval from others as a result of pursuing these…

A causal model which examines factors influencing women's choices of quantitative majors suggests self-rating regarding math/science ability is a primary variable. SAT-Math scores, family background, and the number of high school science courses are also seen as influential and predictive. In addition these factors affect specific choice of major.…

Interaction between cognitive styles, stages of paradigm-disciplinary development, and gender stereotypes could explain underrepresentation of women in science. Because male scientists' cognitive styles were found to be related to career choice, evaluation behavior, research success, and productivity, they are also related to the position of women…

Student attitudes toward men and women successful in occupations traditionally associated with the other gender were studied through ratings of a hypothetical stimulus person. Results with 230 undergraduates found that they expected deviation from occupational gender types to be personally costly for women but not for men. (SLD)

Examines the factors that affected the career decision-making of adolescent females and young women in undergraduate science, engineering, and technology programs. Qualitative analysis was used to uncover seven themes: transition from high school, educational influences, family influences, academic issues, coursework management, gender issues, and…

Employment opportunities for history majors are discussed. The author contends that historians have been brainwashed into believing that they are fit only to be college professors. However, the practice of history academic setting (public history) involves management of industrial corporations, formulation of public policy, and the preservation of…

This study examined the working experiences of college students who are not full-time professional employees, but instead have alternative employment. The study examined both alternative working arrangements and occupation types. Alternative working arrangements include self-employment, part-time employment, and employment in multiple jobs. Among…

Presents an edited transcript of a discussion with seven Simmons College faculty members about education for women and the role a women's college can play in a period of social change. Discussion topics include Simmons as a women's college, meaningful work, non-traditional careers, counseling responsibilities, and potential students. (CAM)