The Effect Of Gender Role Socialization On Girl’s Career Orientation In Buea
Abstract
Girls have been found typically to explore careers from a narrower set of career options than do boys. This study examined the effect of gender role socialization on girl’s career orientation in Buea.
Specifically, the study
seeks to described the concepts of gender role socialization and girls’ career
orientation, to examined the effects of gender role socialization on girls’
career orientation and to describe the role of parents and teachers of gender
socialization play in the career aspirations of girls in Buea.
In
order to achieved these objectives, 50 female undergraduates first year
university students were randomly sampled using a structured questionnaire.
Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS, 21.0)
where descriptive statistics of variables was obtained.
Findings
revealed that male and female are treated same in most major homes, majority
have been made know that some careers suitable for men and others suitable for
women. Gender role have an effect on career orientation of the girls as many
were trained to believe that Women’s role is homemaker and men’s role is
breadwinner.
Parental values and beliefs influence children
on career choice along with financial status and connection of the parents
determined the career choice of girls. Teachers and school environment plays a
contributing role in gender socialization towards career orientation of the
girl child. It was recommended that special community programmes, initiated by
the schools, should be organised to help parents guide their children towards a
better career choice.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Career
is considered as those actions taken by an individual in his or her lifetime in
the path of his or her occupation. It can be defined as an individual’s general
course of actions through a phase of life, as in some profession. Barley (1989)
defined career as a structural property of an occupation which could be
identified as a sequence of positions held by an ideal practitioner.
Career
also refers to the pattern of work-related experiences in the course of an
individual’s life (Greenhaus, 2000). Choosing a career is considered as a
significant decision that influenced the entire future of an individual. Every
individual carries the unique environment, personality and opportunity through
the realization of which they make career choices.
A
person’s career aspiration represents his or her orientation towards a
particular occupation. There can be several factors affecting the career
aspirations of an individual. It can be influenced by gender, socio-economic
status and family support (Domenico and Jones, 2007).
Gender
influences a wide range of career-related attitudes, behaviours, and outcomes.
This includes career choice, career experiences, occupational health, work
attitudes, other people’s perceptions, and career outcomes. Therefore, to
understand individuals’ careers, it is important to consider gender.
Men and women differ considerably in their career choices, and many factors contribute to these differences. Socialization experiences, which refer to the lifelong social learning experiences that people have when interacting with others, play a major role here.
Parents, siblings, teachers, school guidance
counsellors, other adult role models, peers, the media, and many other sources
greatly influence how individuals view themselves based on their gender.
The concept of gender is considered as a set of social practices which influenced the lives of both male and female in society. With the growth of age, children develop a sense about themselves and their expected roles in society through the process of socialization.
Children learn to associate themselves with their
gender roles through this process of socialization. This process of
socialization is known as gender socialization.
Because of this gender socialization process, girls use to perform such activities which reflect the social sex-role expectations (Looft, 1971). During the process of their development from childhood to adolescence, individuals are exposed to various types of sex-differentiated activities through which they learn gender socialization. It is the family, which plays the most significant role in gender socialization of children.
And, in the family, it is the parents
from whom the child first learns the meaning of being a male or female (Thorne,
1993). This gender socialization, at the very early stage of the girls’ lives,
has compelled them to prefer those careers that conform to the cultural
stereotypes of female occupations.
According to Adya and Kaiser (2005), parents play an influential role in the career choice of children. Berk and Witt have mentioned that children of non-stereotypical parents have higher self-esteem, higher levels of identity achievement.
They have also mentioned that girls, whose mothers are
career-oriented, have higher educational aspirations and hold non-traditional
vocational goals. These girls are found to be more engaged in typically masculine
activities.
1.2 Statement of Problem
The Social Learning Theory indicates the possible influences the parents have on the career development of the individual. In the family, it is the parents who play an important role in influencing upon the career choice of individuals.
The parents can be considered as ‘value socializers’ in shaping their
children’s perceptions of occupation or career-related decisions (Astin, 1984).
In many respects, peers are the most important influences on children’s gender-typed play. First, same-gender peers are models that children use to infer gender-normative behaviour.
Children are more likely to play with a
gender-neutral toy-or even a cross-gender-typed toy-after observing a
same-gender (vs. cross-gender) model (e.g., Bussey and Perry, 1982).
At the school level, gender socialization takes place through various aspects, for instance, through interaction with teachers, schoolmates, the curriculum and engagement in co-curricular activities.
Subjects such as home-science, languages and nursing generally socialize female learners towards professions considered feminine because they have their roots in care-giving roles (Chege and Sifuna, 2006).
On the other hand, because masculinity is associated with physical and
mental toughness, subjects such as mathematics, sciences and technical subjects
that demand either precision or ‘application of mind’, or physical strength and
power, are associated with masculinity (Chege and Sifuna, 2006; Jha and
Kelleher, 2006).
To the researcher’s understanding, there is little or no study has been conducted in Cameroon and in Buea in particular to examined the effect of gender socialization on the career orientation of girls in tertiary institutions.
In
line with the above literature, this study seeks to find out whether parental
influence, peer influences, and teachers influence affects career orientation
of girls from tertiary institution in the Buea Municipality.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
1.3.1. Main Objective
The
main objective of this study is to examine the effect of gender role
socialization on girl’s career orientation in Buea.
1.3.2 Specific Objectives
The
specific objective includes;
- To described the concepts of gender role socialization and girls’ career orientation
- To examined the effects of gender role socialization on girls’ career orientation
- To describe the role of parents and teachers of gender socialization play in the career aspirations of girls in Buea
