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Vocational choice and values in adolescent women

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Abstract

The study investigated the relationship of values, internal-external locus of control, and two career maturity variables — career planning orientation and knowledge and use of resources for planning — and the occupational aspiration of 590 adolescent women. Significant value differences were found among females who chose innovative, moderately innovative, or traditional occupations for women. The values clean, forgiving, and helpful were ranked as more important by females aspiring to traditional occupations, while the values courageous, imaginative, and independent were ranked as more important by women aspiring to innovative occupations. No significant differences were found among the three groups on locus of control and career planning orientation. The mean of knowledge and use of resources for planning was found to be significantly higher for the moderately innovative group than the traditional group. The findings of this study are used to propose the utility of values as a representation of sex-role beliefs and the use of values in self-confrontation procedures to change occupational aspirations.

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The author gratefully acknowledges the comments of Milton Rokeach and Robert Tolsma on an earlier draft of this article.

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Young, R.A. Vocational choice and values in adolescent women. Sex Roles 10, 485–492 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287257

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287257

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