Age and sex differences in the development of children's occupational reasoning

Abstract

The purpose of this study was an investigation of age and sex differences in the thinking processes that underlie children's occupational choices and their perception of adult roles. Subjects were 48 nursery school children (24 3-year-olds and 24 4-year-olds) and 48 third graders, all middle class, evenly divided by sex. Subjects were interviewed, using a modified form of Van Den Daele's Ego Ideal interview, on what they wanted to be when they grew up, their reasons for their choices, and their knowledge of means and ends regarding their choices. They were also asked what they would want to be if they were of the opposite sex. Tape-recorded responses were evaluated according to Van Den Daele's Ego Ideal levels. Analyses of variance indicated significant ( p < .0001) changes of level with age. Sex differences were less pronounced and inconsistent. The range of occupations tended to increase with age, and both boys and girls expressed a broader range of choices for themselves than they did for the opposite sex. The study demonstrates that the process of vocational development is related to cognitive development; children's choices and reasoning reflect their changing modes of understanding the world.