THE ROLE OF EXPECTATIONS FOR FUTURE FAMILY OBLIGATIONS IN CAREER CHOICE FOR MEN AND WOMEN

Emily J. cooper, Ashley N. Vacha, Amanda L. Albert, Dr. Melissa Bonstead-Bruns; University Wisconsin-Eau Claire Faculty-Student Research Grant, University Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugold Fellowship Program; Department of Sociololgy; University Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 105 Garfield Ave. P.O. Box 4004, Eau Claire, WI 54702

Studies indicate that women are still entering careers that have traditionally been dominated by females, even though they now have a greater opportunity to enter more male-dominated careers. One possible explanation might be the continued impact of traditional gender role expectations—specifically the persistence of the belief that women should be tied to the domestic sphere. It has been suggested that these old notions still permeate the construction of gender today. If so, then it is likely that women's career decisions will still be guided by the expectation that they will have certain career-related needs associated with having a family and time to raise children. Using an online survey, we gather responses from students at a mid-sized Midwestern university. The survey asks questions about the respondents' current family, major, and future plans for career and family. It also includes a set of vignettes designed to get subjects' views about the relationship between future family plans and career choice applied more broadly. That is, looking at their gender-related views about career and family as they relate to men and women in general, which may or may not vary from the personal choices they make for themselves. We expect that women will be more likely to consider future family plans when choosing a major and making future career plans both for themselves and for other women, in general, than their male counterparts.

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