The Influence of Perceived Career Barriers on College Women's Career Planning

Research has indicated that balancing work and family is on the minds of college-age women long before they are married. At the same time, women continue to choose occupations that do not fully utilize their abilities and often fail to follow their original career goals. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of perceived career barriers and supports on young women's career planning. Utilizing Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) and recent literature as a basis, this study conceptualized career goals using the two constructs career salience and career aspirations. Based on information garnered in this student's thesis and on studies examining pathways in the SCCT model, the current study used a hierarchical regression model and hypothesized that barriers related to work and family conflict and sex discrimination would have the most impact on the career aspirations and career salience of young women. Career supports were hypothesized to add significantly to the prediction of these variables, and coping self-efficacy for these types of barriers were hypothesized to depend on the level of these types of barriers perceived and the interaction effect was in turn expected to add significantly to the prediction of career aspirations and career salience. None of the hypotheses were supported in predicting career salience. Career aspirations were found to be predicted by barriers other than those hypothesized, career supports were found to add significant variance, and coping self-efficacy for work and family conflict was found to have a unique, unpredicted relationship with career aspirations. Implications of the findings are discussed as are suggestions for directions of new research utilizing SCCT.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of North Texas

Year dc:date

2004

Author dc:creator

• Raiff, Gretchen Wade

Contributors dc:contributor

• Campbell, Vicki
• McConnell, Judith
• Kaminski, Patricia L.
• Byers, Lori

• Career development.
• Women college students.
• Women -- Employment.
• career barriers
• work
• self-efficacy
• aspirations
• college women

Statement dc:rights

• Public
• Copyright
• Raiff, Gretchen Wade
• Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

oclc: 58594438
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4685/
ark: ark:/67531/metadc4685

OAI identifier oai:identifier

info:ark/67531/metadc4685