Abstract
The vocation an individual engages in as an adult has several important implications for both the individual and their family and multiple factors influence their career decisions. Gender has been shown to have a significant relationship with career cognitions from childhood into adulthood. When gender is seen as a career barrier, individuals may choose a career path that suits their gender, rather than their talents. Until 2013, the U.S. military expressly prohibited women from serving in a significant percentage of key positions; this institutional sexism may make gender a more salient factor in the career cognitions of individuals developing within a military context. The actual impact of military context on career cognitions, however, has not been investigated. This ex post facto study explores the association between developmental context (military or non-military) and future-oriented career cognitions (occupational aspirations and occupational expectations) among a sample of high school students. Girls from military families were found to have higher career aspirations but their career expectations did not differ from their civilian counterparts. No differences were found among the boys. Findings of this study have practical implications for career guidance given to high school students from military families.
Highlights
The vocation an individual engages in as an adult has several important implications for both the individual and their family. Marcia (1980) has suggested that vocational choices are central to identity formation (1980; Holland, 1985); perhaps more importantly, occupational choices have an obvious association with income and access to resources
The analysis found a nonsignificant association between military context and increased occupational aspirations, F(1, 67) = 1.60, p = 0.21, η2p = 0.02
It appears likely that being reared in a military context has a positive influence on the occupational aspirations of military children, but that this context effect is more pronounced among girls
Summary
The vocation an individual engages in as an adult has several important implications for both the individual and their family. Marcia (1980) has suggested that vocational choices are central to identity formation (1980; Holland, 1985); perhaps more importantly, occupational choices have an obvious association with income and access to resources (e.g., education, healthcare). Marcia (1980) has suggested that vocational choices are central to identity formation (1980; Holland, 1985); perhaps more importantly, occupational choices have an obvious association with income and access to resources (e.g., education, healthcare). In early childhood, both boys and girls report aspirations that are heavily influenced by gender stereotypes; by age 14 individuals begin to report career aspirations more in accord with their own aptitudes (Gottfredson, 2002). Girls, growing up in an environment of institutional sexism may develop differing ideas about their future careers, potentially internalizing the idea that women are less capable of serving in some occupations or of achieving the same level of success as men in certain fields
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