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What will I be when I grow up? The impact of gender identity threat on adolescents' occupational preferences

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Author

  • Samantha Sinclair
  • Rickard Carlsson

Summary, in English

The present study examined the impact of gender identity threat on adolescents' occupational preferences. Two hundred and ninety-seven adolescents (45% girls, M age = 14.4, SD = .54) participated in the experiment. There were substantial differences between boys' and girls' occupational preferences. Importantly, adolescents who received a threat to their gender identity became more stereotypical in job preferences, suggesting a causal link between threatened gender identity and stereotypical preferences. A comparison threat to one's capability did not have this effect, indicating a unique effect of gender identity threat. Further, individual differences in gender identity concerns predicted gender stereotypical preferences, and this finding was replicated with an independent sample (N = 242). In conclusion, the results suggest that threats to adolescents' gender identity may contribute to the large gender segregation on the labor market.

Publishing year

2013

Language

English

Pages

465-474

Publication/Series

Journal of Adolescence

Volume

36

Issue

3

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Elsevier

Topic

  • Psychology

Keywords

  • Gender identity threat
  • Gender identity concerns
  • Occupational preferences
  • Adolescents

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1095-9254