Identity and sex-race differences in educational and occupational aspirations formation

Abstract

This paper addresses the persistent observation that the widely used Wisconsin status aspirations/attainment model poorly fits data obtained for blacks and white females. By introducing certain aspects of Identity Theory into the Wisconsin model, the link between the social structural components and behavioral choices and intentions of individuals is made theoretically clearer. On the basis of Identity Theory, we argue that social structure influences the identities people have and identities influence behaviors by people choosing behaviors, the meanings of which correspond to the meanings of their identities. In this way, the poor fit of the Wisconsin model is narrowed to two possible sources: the different subgroups may have different identity meanings or the meanings of the occupational and educational behavioral outcomes may be different. The present paper explores the side of the equation dealing with identity meanings by examining academic identity as it links to the behavioral intentions of continuing education. Data from a sample of high school seniors are used to assess a status aspirations model for race and sex subsamples. The results show that academic identity is the same for all subgroups, and, except for black males, does mediate the effects of several predictors of educational plans. We conclude that the incorporation of Identity Theory into the status aspirations model is an important step, but that future research needs to look at the meanings of the behaviors that are to be predicted from the model. Only in this way can the anomalous findings for black males be accounted for.