Abstract of

Gender Differences in Choice of College Major and Future Careers: The Influences of Parents, Teachers, and Peers

by

T. E. Strobel

Fall 2005

California State University, Sacramento

Statement of Problem

The study of gender, choice of college major and occupational tracks is a frequent theme in scholarly research. Sadker and Sadker (1995) and Jacobs (1996) illustrated that even though females often outperform males in college by receiving higher grades and participating in more extracurricular activities, gender segregation by field of study represents serious inequities on college campuses. Males continue to dominate fields such as business administration, engineering and the physical sciences, whereas women are clustered in nursing, education, and the arts and letters. Numerous scholars argued that persisting segregation is a result of gender socialization. Lips (1989) and Davis and Guppy (1997) argued that gender socialization leads men and women to favor “gender-appropriate” college majors and careers. Thus, women are concentrated in “nurturing” fields like education and typically place less value on the amount of monetary compensation in a particular field. Males avoid “nurturing” fields and place high value on monetary compensation. Gender segregation by field of study shapes educational decisions, influencing segregation found in labor markets. The imbalanced gender composition of college majors, the labor markets and vocational expectations perpetuates traditional gender role stereotypes.

Sources of Data

The researcher and Logan State University faculty distributed surveys to Logan State University freshmen, who were enrolled in Freshmen Seminars, English 1 and 1A and Learning Skills 15 and 87. The researcher collected 37 surveys from students enrolled in Freshmen Seminars, 468 surveys from students enrolled in English 1 and 1A and 76 surveys from students enrolled in Learning Skills 15 and 87. A total of 579 freshmen completed the survey. The total number of first-time, full-time freshmen accepted and enrolled, at Logan State University, in spring 2005 was 2,345.

Conclusions Reached

The evidence the author summarized supported the hypotheses presented. The majors findings are: (1) Gender influences the choice of one’s college major; (2) teachers and peers influenced the choice of one’s college major and future occupational plans, based on gender; (3) students’ personal priorities and academic confidence are influenced by gender. However, it is important to note that the study found no significant correlations between parents and students’ choice of majors and careers. The evidence strongly suggested that gender socialization among peers and teachers, as well as personal priorities and academic confidence, played a major role in shaping academic and career choices.