Lesbian Career Development, Work Behavior, and Vocational Counseling

Abstract

Women 's career development has recently been a popular topic in counseling psychology, for both theoretical and empirical work This article extends that line of inquiry to address the unique career development issues of lesbians. The available literature on lesbians and work is reviewed, and parallels are drawn between the work experiences of lesbians, nonlesbian women, and other minority status groups. Three models of career development in women (Astin, 1985; Farmer, 1985; Gottfredson, 1981) are presented, and the applicability of each theory to increasing understanding of lesbian experience is explored. Implications for vocational and work-related counseling for lesbians are suggested and recommendations for the field are made.