The attitudes toward work in career transitions

The development of general attitudes toward work was investigated in career transitions of people at various career stages, belonging to various socioeconomic paths. It was assumed that general attitudes toward work, consisting of the affective meaning of work and of its centrality to the subject, are developed in an anticipatory manner on the basis of expectations, integrating occupational information with aspirations. Samples of junior and senior high school students, undergraduate university students, vocational trainees for skilled work, and persons trained for higher executive positions participated in the research. The results confirmed the role of expectations in attitude formation. Similar expectations as to status and advancement lead to similar attitudes regardless of differences in age or cultural background.     

The relationships of career salience,attitudes toward women,and demographic and family characteristics to marital adjustment in dual-career couples

Facilitation of women's increasing involvement and satisfaction in career pursuits necessitates understanding of ways in which multiple roles may be managed and integrated by both women and men. Accordingly, the present study was designed to investigate predictors of levels of marital adjustment in dual-career couples. Both husbands and wives in 42 dual-career couples completed Greenhaus' Career Salience scale, the Attitudes toward Women scale, the Dyadic Adjustment scale, and a demographic information questionnaire. Results indicated, first, that the dual-career couples studied reported relatively high levels of marital adjustment, relatively profeminist attitudes toward women, and moderate levels of career salience; family interests were ranked as more important than were career interests. Second, higher levels of marital adjustment in both husbands and wives were found in couples in which the wife was more highly educated and which had relatively high combined incomes. In addition, greater marital adjustment in husbands was related to higher levels of career salience among wives. Contrary to expectation, husbands' attitudes toward women's roles were unrelated to their levels of marital adjustment. Implications for further research on dual-career couples and for the successful integration of career and family roles are discussed.     

Hispanic and majority student attitudes toward forcible date rape as a function of differences in attitudes toward women

Less rejecting attitudes toward forcible date rape are related to more traditional attitudes toward women, as measured by the Attitudes Toward Women Scale (G. J. Fischer, “College Student Attitudes Toward Forcible Date Rape. I. Cognitive Predictors,” Archives of Sexual Behavior, 1986, 15, 457–466). Does this relation reflect more traditional or more negative attitudes toward women? If the former, then an ethnic minority having still more traditional attitudes toward women (than the nonethnic majority), also should be less rejecting of forcible date rape. This hypothesis was assessed by surveying attitudes of bicultural and bilingual Hispanic, other self-reported Hispanics, and nonethnic majority college students from a large introductory sociology class in a large Southwestern university. Results showed that Hispanics, overall, (1) had more traditional attitudes toward women than nonethnic majority and (2) as hypothesized, had less rejecting attitudes toward forcible date rape. However, these effects were not a simple function of ethnicity, at least not for males. For example, bicultural and bilingual Hispanic males were least likely to blame the male for the forcible date rape, but were no less rejecting of such behavior than other Hispanic males and had no more traditional attitudes toward women than other Hispanic or majority males. Bicultural and bilingual Hispanic females, on the other hand, were most likely to blame the male, had the least rejecting attitudes toward date rape, and had the most traditional attitudes toward women. one interpretation is that exposure to less restrictive sex roles of the majority culture is a liberating influence on Hispanic females, but not on Hispanic males who, perhaps, see more liberal attitudes toward women as having no or even negative payoff. Differences found between Hispanics who are bicultural and bilingual and other self-reported Hispanics suggest that these groups should not be combined, and that a research sample needs to be defined more specifically than “Hispanic.”     

Cognitive support for the career choices of college women

The career aspirations of 50 female college seniors of lower- and middle-class backgrounds was assessed by a questionnaire and tape-recorded interview. Using a fourfold classification contrasting career choice with career commitment, the women were classified as innovative career oriented, innovative noncareer oriented, traditional career oriented, and traditional noncareer oriented. The career aspirations of these women, however, were not related to maternal employment patterns as previous studies have indicated. Rather, the perceived attitudes and direction of the parents was found to be a significant correlate of career choice and career commitment. It was concluded that maternal employment as a modeling variable may be unimportant for women of lower- and middle-class backgrounds.This article is based on a dissertation which was submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree in the Graduate Center, City University of New York. The author expresses appreciation to Dr. Florence Denmark for her continuous support throughout the entire study and also thanks Dr. Bernard Seidenberg for his valuable suggestions on earlier drafts of this article.     

Experiencing Alien-Nation: Effects of a simulation intervention on attitudes toward homosexuals

The authors explored psychological mechanisms underlying a teaching exercise [Hillman, J., & Martin, R. A. (2002). Lessons about gay and lesbian lives: A spaceship exercise. Teaching of Psychology, 29, 308-311] that may improve attitudes toward homosexuals. Heterosexual participants were randomly assigned to a simulation intervention or control lecture condition. In the simulation condition, participants imagined life on an alien planet that inadvertently simulated situational constraints parallel to those faced by homosexuals. The simulation (vs. control lecture) produced significantly more intergroup perspective-taking, empathy, and favorable attitudes toward homosexuals and marginalized groups. Tests of a structural equation model supported the assumption that the simulation (vs. control) provided an experience that heightened intergroup perspective-taking, which indirectly predicted favorable attitudes via independent cognitive (inclusive intergroup representations) and affective (empathy) paths. The model held after statistically controlling for prior attitudes and ideological individual differences predicting anti-homosexual bias. Implications for prejudice-reduction simulations and intergroup contact are considered.     

Female aggression as a function of attitudes toward women

The aggressive behavior of female subjects who held either liberal or traditional beliefs concerning the role of women in modern society was investigated as a function of provocation by traditional or liberal male opponents. Traditional female subjects responded more aggressively than liberal females. The male opponent's attitude had no effect on female aggression.This article is based on an honors thesis submitted to the Honors and Experimental College of Kent State University by the second author.     

Sports ideology,attitudes toward women,and anti-homosexual attitudes

The present work tests the associations of sports ideology with sexist and anti-homosexual attitudes in a sample of 304 college students. It was found that sports ideology is positively associated with sexist and anti-homosexual attitudes, but only among males. Among females only sexist attitudes were associated with negative attitudes toward gays and lesbians. Among males, the link of sports ideology to anti-homosexual attitudes was independent of sexist beliefs. Reciprocal causal influences between sexist attitudes and sports ideology are discussed.     

The effects of a nontraditional role-modeling intervention on sex typing of occupational preferences and career salience in adolescent females

Middle school and high school girls participated in a 5-week nontraditional role-modeling intervention. Dependent variables were interest in nontraditional occupations, career salience, and vocational exploration behavior. No significant treatment effects were found on the criterion measures. High school as compared with middle school girls did engage in a significantly greater number of vocational exploration behaviors. Results are consistent with previous research showing that programs designed to increase interest in nontraditional occupations have little impact. It is suggested that the negligible results may be due to the tenacity of sex-typed aspirations or to the failure to design effective interventions for specific client groups.     

An examination of male and female attitudes toward career and family issues

This paper presents the results of a study designed to investigate attitudes toward various career and family issues. The sample for the study consists of 240 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in business courses. Results indicate differences in men's and women's perceptions of such issues as employer and government support for child care, parental responsibility, traditionally defined sex roles, and the impact of nonwork issues on work effectiveness. Gender differences were also evident in decisions made by study participants in response to several career-family scenarios developed by the researchers.An earlier version of this article was presented at the 1990 meetings of the Academy of Management.     

Effects of career exploration on career undecided reentry women: An intervention and follow-up study

This study examined the effects of two different career interventions on career undecided reentry women. A total of 34 women were randomly assigned to either a Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory (SCII) or a Vocational Card Sort (VCS) treatment program. The effects of treatment were assessed 3 weeks after the interventions and again 6 months later. The domains assessed included vocational needs, treatment satisfaction, career indecision, and career choice change. Statistically significant effects were found for both treatments, with the women experiencing less career indecision following the interventions. The career choice changes that were found suggested that the interventions were equally effective, and the women expressed equal satisfaction with both treatments. The results overall support the usefulness of both the SCII and VCS with reentry women. These results are discussed along with their implications for counseling practice as well as future research.     

The impact of college on sex-atypical career choices of men and women

This study sought to identify the college environments and experiences associated with changes in sex-atypical career aspirations among men and women. A sample of 17,637 students attending baccalaureate institutions across the country was surveyed upon college entry and again 4 years later. The findings revealed that aspects of the college environment, including the peer culture, faculty interaction, and curriculum, all contribute to shifts to or from nontraditional career choices.     

Using implicit bias training to improve attitudes toward women in STEM

Implicit biases can foster negative attitudes and lead to damaging stereotypical behaviors. Stereotypes can negatively affect the education, hiring, promotion, and retention of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This study evaluated the impact of diversity training on university faculty ( \(N = 234\) ) by assessing changes in implicit associations and explicit attitudes toward women in STEM. Personal implicit associations about women in STEM improved for men, but not for women who already tended toward more positive implicit associations at pre-test. Men were more likely than women to explicitly endorse stereotypes about women in STEM at both pre- and post-test, and these attitudes did not change as a result of the diversity training. These findings suggest that participation in a brief diversity training can improve implicit associations about women in STEM.     

The concept of citizenship and attitudes toward women in combat

Since the American and French revolutions, the right to bear arms has been an integral aspect of the normative definition of citizenship. Citizenship rights were won by people who were given the opportunity to prove their loyalty through the defense of the state. This right has been denied women who, although they have served in the United States armed forces in relatively low numbers, have been systematically excluded from combat specialties. Attitude data collected from both Army and civilian samples show public opinion to be opposed to women in combat. Women in the Army are less opposed than are men, political liberals less than political conservatives, and respondents with no religious affiliation less than those with church ties. In no group, however, is there majority support for extending the right to fight to women.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Fifth Symposium on Psychology in the Air Force, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado, April 8–10, 1976.     

Sex role attitudes of self and those inferred of peers,performance, and career opportunities as reported by women in nontraditional vs. traditional training programs

Compared to 135 women in traditional training programs (health care — nursing assistantship), the 151 women in nontraditional training programs (trades and technology — welding, drafting, electronics engineering technology, air conditioning technology, metal fabrication, etc.) were expected to report more egalitarian sex role attitudes and to perceive their peers in the program as more egalitarian also. They were expected to demonstrate greater academic success than traditional women in these nontraditional programs. Overall support was found with the exception that nontraditional women in the nontraditional program expected more difficulties than the traditional women outside than program. These findings were interpreted as reflecting person by environment fit and the consensual validation of sex role attitudes made possible by perceived similar-minded peers. The greater difficulties foreseen by women in the nontraditional program suggested systemic discrimination in the work force outweighed person by environment fit, in the women's assessment of nontraditional career opportunities.     

Acculturation and young Iranian women: attitudes toward sex roles and intimate relationships

This study examined the nature and extent of acculturation of Iranian women into the American culture of Los Angeles, California, their attitude toward the role of women, and their attitude toward intimate relationships. It was expected that acculturation level would be related negatively to participants' age at migration and positively related to the length of time away from Iran. Data were obtained from a sample of 77 Iranian women aged 17-32 years living in Los Angeles. Acculturation level was measured by a modified version of one designed by Cuellar, Harris, and Jasso (1980). The Sexual and Premarital Attitude Inventory designed by Schofield (1965) was used to gauge attitudes about intimate relationships. The short version of the Attitude Toward Women Scale designed by Spence, Helmreich, and Staff (1973) was used to assess differences in ideology about the role of women in society and the family. Findings indicate that acculturation level was positively associated with premarital sexual attitudes, a sex role attitude, and sex role attitudes specific to Iranians. Greater acculturation was associated with more liberal sex roles. The age at which Iranian women left Iran was negatively correlated with acculturation. Younger age was associated with a higher score. The number of years away from Iran was associated with a higher acculturation score. Educational level was not significantly related to acculturation. The author proposes that conflict between the pressure to assimilate and attachment to cultural identity may be an adaptive solution in itself. One caveat was the higher socioeconomic status of this sample population.     

Transforming career stories through poetry: a group-based career counselling intervention

ABSTRACT

Contemplating the school to work transition in the insecure and unpredictable twenty-first century world of work can be anxiety inducing for college students. Consequently, college students may develop disempowered career stories in which they feel ill prepared to explore career prospects or engage with the world of work. This paper describes a career counselling intervention aimed at transforming the disempowered career stories of college students into more empowered versions. Grounded in career construction theory and designed as a group modality, the intervention employs poetry therapy to enhance the development of internally defined and motivated career stories among the group participants. Although this paper highlights the Kenyan context, the intervention itself can easily be adapted to other contexts.