Nach and perceived parental child-rearing attitudes of career women and homemakers

Abstract

This study investigated the differences among three groups of women ( N = 66): homemakers (HM); career women in female-dominated occupations (FDO); and career women in male-dominated occupations (MDO), on two variables: (a) perception of their parents' child-rearing attitudes; (b) level of achievement motivation, using the Control scale of the PARI and the n Ach scale of the EPPS, respectively. On the Control scale (which subjects completed as they thought their parents would) HM scored significantly higher than either FDO ( p ⩽ .025) or MDO ( p ⩽ .005); no significant differences were found between the scores of MDO and those of FDO. On the n Ach scale, FDO scored significantly higher ( p ⩽ .1) than HM and significantly lower ( p ⩽ .025) than MDO, using Scheffe's test for multiple comparisons. Results shed some light on the dynamics of career development of women. They support the author's contention that women's primary career decision i.e., that between “working” and “not working,” is a function of the child-rearing mode of the parents. The field of occupation and the level within it that a woman chooses to pursue is a secondary career choice and is a function of a woman's level of achievement motivation. This conceptualization is seen as having implications for counseling women and for the future applicability of theories of career development to women.