Vocational interest is a dynamic, subjective, positive attraction towards a job, occupa tion or occupational field, based on the individual's perception of the structure of occupations and situations already experienced or expected to produce pleasurable feelings. Interest test tields are usually statistically derived from characteristics of individuals. This study develops and validates an interest test based on the perceived occupationaI structure. After examining various classification models and occupational classification systems, including work by Holland, Gati and Roe, a new network access model was pro­posed, based on many-to-many correspondence in set theory. Categories are arranged on levels. Choice of a category on one level precludes access to another category on the sanK level, but does not restrict access to categories on other levels. It was hypothesised that occupational structure is perceived to consist of the three levels of lields, environments and duties. Each category is a horizontal sirus group and includes all vertical status levels. Career choice is based on preferences at each level. 1200 jobs have been classified by allocation to one category on each level, and each is described by a field, environment and duty. The field-environment-duty (FED) system was operationalised in a ten minute interest test asking testees to choose from each level the three categories that interest them for a job. Extensive use was made of x to the power of 2 and empty sets to the power of two statistics in analysing nominal measurement scores. The FED test was applied to 1280 school-leavers in Gauteng, South Africa. Research supports Gati's division of occupations into "soft" (people-oriented occupations preferred by females), and "hard" (not-people-oriented occupations preferred by males), and introduces a third "neutral" division which is preferred equally by both males and females. Construct and concurrent validity was shown with the I 9Fll, VIQ, SDS and l6PF. In a four to five year longitudinal study the FED was found to predict future studies (80%) and occupation (86%). Research with working adults found that the FED test predicts concurrent job satisfaction, job tenure and self-assessed performance. Inter-rater reliability in assigning jobs to categories is around 80%. Test-retest reliability was significant to the 0,0001 level using the x to the power of 2 goodness of fit test. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D.Com. (Industrial Psychology)

This diploma thesis deals with the position of women in the labour market, focusing on gender wage differences. It describes the problem of discrimination against women and the different valuation of women's and men's work. In the theoretical part, the thesis focuses on the basic terminology and overview of Czech and European legal regulations, which should ensure an equal access for women and men. Essential part of this work is to analyze the wage gap by using Gender Pay Gap index and the factors, that affects this gap. Wage differences are analyzed at the level of national economy and also at the level of individual proffesional groups. A separate chapter is devoted to analyzing the macroeconomic factors that are considered the most important causes of differences in women's and men's income. The thesis presents statistical data, which explains the different position of women in the labour market and also provides evidence of wage discrimination against women. Results of the analysis are set into the Czech and European context.

Vocational interest is a dynamic, subjective, positive attraction towards a job, occupa tion or occupational field, based on the individual's perception of the structure of occupations and situations already experienced or expected to produce pleasurable feelings. Interest test tields are usually statistically derived from characteristics of individuals. This study develops and validates an interest test based on the perceived occupationaI structure. After examining various classification models and occupational classification systems, including work by Holland, Gati and Roe, a new network access model was pro­posed, based on many-to-many correspondence in set theory. Categories are arranged on levels. Choice of a category on one level precludes access to another category on the sanK level, but does not restrict access to categories on other levels. It was hypothesised that occupational structure is perceived to consist of the three levels of lields, environments and duties. Each category is a horizontal sirus group and includes all vertical status levels. Career choice is based on preferences at each level. 1200 jobs have been classified by allocation to one category on each level, and each is described by a field, environment and duty. The field-environment-duty (FED) system was operationalised in a ten minute interest test asking testees to choose from each level the three categories that interest them for a job. Extensive use was made of x to the power of 2 and empty sets to the power of two statistics in analysing nominal measurement scores. The FED test was applied to 1280 school-leavers in Gauteng, South Africa. Research supports Gati's division of occupations into "soft" (people-oriented occupations preferred by females), and "hard" (not-people-oriented occupations preferred by males), and introduces a third "neutral" division which is preferred equally by both males and females. Construct and concurrent validity was shown with the I 9Fll, VIQ, SDS and l6PF. In a four to five year longitudinal study the FED was found to predict future studies (80%) and occupation (86%). Research with working adults found that the FED test predicts concurrent job satisfaction, job tenure and self-assessed performance. Inter-rater reliability in assigning jobs to categories is around 80%. Test-retest reliability was significant to the 0,0001 level using the x to the power of 2 goodness of fit test. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D.Com. (Industrial Psychology)

Det uppskattas att ungefär en tredjedel av arbetsmarknaden består av röstkrävande yrken, det vill säga yrken där rösten är ett viktigt och nödvändigt redskap för att utföra sitt arbete. Tidigare forskning har identifierat lärare, sångare och präster som yrken med röstkrävande arbetsuppgifter. Forskningen är dock över 20 år gammal, och aktuell forskning om vilka röstkrav som ställs på arbetsmarknaden, särskilt hos grupper som inte är överrepresenterade vad gäller röstproblem, saknas. Syftet med den här studien är att identifiera vilka röstkrav som ställs inom yrkesgrupper i Sverige idag. Totalt 477 deltagare besvarade en enkät med frågor om uppskattad talartid under en arbetsdag, samt vilka röstkrävande arbetsuppgifter och röstkrävande arbetsmiljöfaktorer som förekom på deras arbetsplats. Resultatet från den här deskriptiva tvärsnittsstudien visar att flera yrken som tidigare blivit identifierade som röstkrävande yrken, även är röstkrävande yrken idag. Ytterligare identifierade yrken i den här studien var till exempel arbetstagare inom museum- och biblioteksverksamhet, sjuksköterskor med vidareutbildning, till exempel barnsjuksköterskor, chefer inom utbildning, och yrkesgruppen ”författare, journalister och tolkar”. De mest förekommande röstkraven var att muntligt instruera eller informera kollegor, prata i telefon och att kommunicera muntligt med kunder eller klienter. Vidare forskning med ett större deltagarantal behövs för att ytterligare identifiera röstkrävande yrkesgrupper och röstkrav på den moderna arbetsmarknaden, där rösten förväntas hålla under allt fler arbetsverksamma år. / It is estimated that approximately one third of the labour market consists of vocally demanding occupations, namely occupations where the voice is an important and necessary tool to execute one’s work. Previous research has identified teachers, singers, and priests as occupations with vocally demanding work. However, the research is over 20 years old, and current research about vocal requirements on the labour market, especially amongst groups that are not overrepresented regarding voice problem, are missing. The purpose of this study is to identify which vocal requirements are essential on the modern Swedish labour market. A total of 477 participants completed a survey with questions about estimated speaking time during a workday, as well as which vocally demanding work tasks and vocally challenging work environmental factors occured at their workplace. The result from the descriptive cross-sectional study shows that several occupations that previously have been identified as vocally demanding occupations, also are vocally demanding occupations today. Further identified occupations in this study were employees working within libraries and museums, nursing professionals with continued education such as pediatric nurses, education managers, and the occupational group “authors, journalists, and interpreters”. The most occurring vocal demands in the Swedish labour market today were verbally instructing or informing colleagues, speaking on the phone, and verbally communicating with customers/clients/patients/users/visitors. Further research with a larger number of participants is needed to identify vocally demanding occupational groups and vocal requirements on the modern Swedish labour market, where the voice is expected to last during an increasing amount of working years.