Domestic Roles and Sex Differences in Occupational Expectations

This study examines relationships between sex roles, domestic roles, and occupational expectations within a large sample of American adolescents. Questionnaire data shows that domestic and occupational expectations are intricately interwoven for females, but are relatively discrete spheres for males. For three subgroups—"sex-typical," "sex-atypical," or "sex-neutral" occupational expectations—significant multivariate differences were found for females but not males on background, sex role, and domestic expectation variables. These results indicate that the occupational expectations of adolescent females are related to both generalized sex-role attitudes and specific plans for adult domestic roles.