Gender and work: The occupational expectations of young women and men in the 1990s

Abstract

This article uses data from a longitudinal survey of youth to examine the effects of gender on the occupational expectations and attitudes of youth in the 1990s. Twelve hundred youth from central and eastern Canada were surveyed in 1989 and 1994. Results show few gender differences in the status rankings in the youths' expected occupations, or in their intentions to enter the paid labour force. However, there were differences in the ways females and males saw themselves combining work and family responsibilities---especially pre-school aged children. The attitudes and experiences of the young women's mothers appeared to affect these plans--plans that were unrelated to social class background. The results are discussed in the context of McCall's notion on gendered dispositions.

What happens to the girls? gender, work and learning in Canada's ‘new economy’1

“…What Looker and Magee (2000) call a 'gendered disposition' is evident in their longitudinal study of 1200 young people in central and eastern Canada. Most girls desired to have families but also had similar or higher expectations than the boys for highly skilled, meaningful, highly paid careers.…”

Gender and professional career plans of high school students in comparative perspective

“…Holland's typology attaches the label of ''investigative'' to occupations such as technicians or engineers, while craftsmen, car mechanics, and farmers are grouped under the ''realistic'' label. Looker and Magee (2000) review the literature which asserts that adolescent women are aware of their future responsibilities as mothers and adjust their career plans accordingly, that is, they are guided by the perceived motherhood friendliness of their future jobs. They thus opt for middle status, low pay, and traditionally female occupations.…”

“…The opponents of this view argue that young women opt out of having children or reduce their number to meet their professional career desires. According to this perspective, women aim to work in Educational Research and Evaluation 387 professional and demanding fields and adjust their parenting roles accordingly (Looker & Magee, 2000). These are some of the important issues which constitute the context of our investigation of the determinants of gender-specific career plans.…”

Worldly Leadership through Local Knowledge: Discovering Voices of Emirati Women Business Leaders

“…These issues surface in two areas: the lack of childcare and long working hours in the private sector. Global research has reported that as a result of potential family -work conflict, many adolescent women, especially in Middle Eastern society where family ties are strong, eliminate from consideration high-prestige careers requiring a high degree of commitment (Looker, 2000, quoted in Gallant & Pounder, 2008.…”