A New Take On An Age-Old Dilemma: A Study Of Gender As It Applies To The Work Aspirations Of Emory University Undergraduate Students Público

Abstract

With societal changes in effect since the 1963 publication of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique roughly fifty years ago and the power of choice more apparent, it is increasingly more imperative to look at the role of the individual to understand men and women's differing experiences in the workforce. Specifically, I seek to build off previous research by delving into how gender influences the work aspirations of college seniors as they transition into adulthood and prepare to enter the workforce. First, I present a theoretical framework highlighting the importance of gender norms and cultural schemas, the persistence of the separate sphere ideology, and the normative alternatives approach to understanding the decision-making process of male and female students. Next, I look to the empirical work completed on the matter of gender and work values to discuss any patterns currently mentioned by researchers in the field. I conducted thirty in-depth, semi-structured interviews with seniors at Emory University regarding their decision-making processes and the work values participants draw on when framing their decisions. This paper presents major themes related to gender differences among male and female college students' work aspirations. Despite the expanded freedom of choice indicative of the contemporary labor market, my analysis adds to previous research demonstrating differential work values and continuing adherence to the separate spheres ideology.

Table of Contents

Introduction.................................................................................................................................... 1

Research Questions........................................................................................................................ 4

Theoretical Framework & Empirical Work............................................................................5

The Importance of Gender in Work Aspirations..........................................................................5

Conceptualizing the Decision-Making Process in a Way that is Gendered..........................8

Gender as it Pertains to Work Values.........................................................................................12

Hypotheses.......................................................................................................................................16

Methods............................................................................................................................................16

Research Design .............................................................................................................................16

Site and Sample...............................................................................................................................17

Data Collection...............................................................................................................................18

Data Analysis...................................................................................................................................19

Findings... .........................................................................................................................................21

The Next Step: The Start of Something New Or The Beginning of the Future?...................23

I Don't Know What The Future Will Bring: Acceptance of Uncertainty.............................. 25

The Freedom to be Flexible........................................................................................................... 28

Work Values: A Few Fundamental Differences......................................................................... 34

Show Me The Money........................................................................................................................37

Family: It Could Happen v. I Have A Plan..................................................................................42

Implications and Discussion..........................................................................................................47

References..........................................................................................................................................53

Appendices.........................................................................................................................................58

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Sociology
Degree	BA
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Sociology, Individual and Family Studies Sociology, General
Palabra Clave	gender work aspirations college students
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Scott, Tracy L, Emory University
Committee Members	Johnson, Cathryn, Emory University Simonds, Patricia, Emory University

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