Occupational Possible Selves: Fears and Aspirations of College Women

Abstract

Using possible selves as a theoretical basis, this study examined self-perceptions of occupational futures by asking 98 undergraduate women to rate feminine, masculine, and neutral jobs as to how expected, feared, and ideal (or hoped for) they were. Participants also identified their most feared job, rated the salience of 10 reasons for this choice, and completed other measures related to self-efficacy, sex role orientation, and attitudes and values toward work. Participants feared feminine jobs more than they expected or idealized these jobs. They feared masculine jobs more than they expected these jobs but not more than they idealized them, and they idealized these jobs more than they expected them. No differences were found among neutral jobs. Participants who chose a masculine occupation as their most feared job cited reasons of job demands, competition, and doubts about success. Those whose most feared job was a feminine occupation placed importance on the job’s low status and others’ disappointment.