Three Dimensions of Occupational Choice: A Research Note on Measuring the Career Intentions of College Women

The efficacy of three occupational choice dimensions (sex composition, duration, & certainty) in identifying different career orientations is explored for an earlier generation of US undergraduate women. Pooled panel data from interviews & questionnaires administered twice to students at 2 US Us in the late 1950s & early 1960s (N = 475 F & 511 M freshmen; sample attrited to 224 F & 292 M seniors) are analyzed in terms of occupational preparation & goals, income expectations, & skill orientations. Findings indicate that, despite significant cross-sex differences, most women did hold long-term career or job goals; both the duration & certainty dimensions appeared strongly predictive of M & F work orientation, while sex composition of prospective jobs had a less clear effect. 4 Tables. L. Whittemore.