Sex differences in perceptions of desired rewards, availability of rewards, and abilities in relation to occupational selection

The perception of the rewards desired in an occupation, the rewards perceived to be available in an occupation, and the perceived match of abilities to those required in an occupation are examined for male and female college students majoring in business and for female students majoring in education. The findings indicate that females choosing business as an occupation are very similar to males choosing business, in their perceptions of their desired outcomes in relation to those available in an occupation and in their perceptions of their abilities in relation to those required by an occupation. On the other hand, females choosing business show significant differences in comparison to females choosing education in all of these dimensions. The implication is that there are very few sex differences in these perceptions when choice of occupation is held constant.