This study contributes to an understanding of the causes, consequences and complexities of gender inequity in career success (high levels of status and salary) in the New Zealand accounting profession. Sixty-nine (twenty-seven male and forty-two female) experienced Chartered Accountants were interviewed about their career histories. A feminist, interpretative and qualitative approach was followed and NVIVO was used for analysis. The first significant contribution of the study was the identification of five work/family strategies based on levels of family and work involvement (Traditional Men, Traditional Women, Family Balancers, Stepping Stone Men and Work First Women). Secondly, the level of family responsibilities explained career success much better than gender alone, although these two factors were commonly (but not always) directly related. The third contribution was the revision of the three-pronged model previously offered by Whiting & Wright (2001) to explain gender inequities in salary and status in the New Zealand accounting profession. Because the original model was derived from quantitative data, using qualitative data to revise the model constituted a sequential mixed method (pragmatic) approach. In the revised model, gender centrality and the three explanatory categories (Attributes, Structure and Attitudes) were removed. Career success was enhanced by high career aspirations (related to perceptions of stress, managerial and responsibility requirements and remuneration), long working hours and availability to clients, hard work, high technical competence and skills (enhanced by overseas experience), networking (less attractive to women), self-confidence (enhanced by mentoring for the least self-confident), flexibility to relocate if required (decreased by family and lifestyle ties) and large size and growth of the employing organisation. Most influential were career aspirations and a long hours/available work ethic. This demonstrated the pervasiveness of the male linear career model (derived from the male breadwinner-female carer family structure), that rewarded (in terms of progression) unilateral allegiance to the firm. Career aspirations, desire for responsibility, perceived ability to handle pressure, long hours, availability to clients, networking and possibly technical skills (if there were periods of extended leave) were all influenced by the Chartered Accountant�s level of family responsibilities. Those with the least family responsibilities (childless, Traditional Men and Work First Women) demonstrated unswerving commitment to the firm and were equally the most successful career wise. The impact of family responsibilities on career progression could be ameliorated by organisational cultural change. There were some indications of cultural change, being most prevalent in public sector and educational organisations. Enhancing conditions included a culture of flexibility and a concurrent atmosphere of trust, a less competitive work culture, absence of constant overtime demands and on-call work, encouraging top management who worked positively to retain and foster top performers over a longer period, and high level part-time positions supported by well-trained subordinate teams. To achieve these conditions provides an imminent challenge to organisations which employ Chartered Accountants, because the profession is increasing its proportion of females, has a younger generation more interested in work-life balance, and is losing many of its members overseas.

What perceptions do Year Three children aged 8-10 years have about the world of work? This study was initiated because, as a parent and teacher I had noticed that some children are motivated more than others to study in the pursuit of a career. / Most of the research on the career development of young children is based on the work of Gottfredson’s developmental model (1981) in North America it has not been established previously whether this model applies to Australian children. The findings of this study confirm Gottfredson’s theory about children’s capacity to make tentative career choices. Parents, teachers and the media all influence children’s career aspirations in varying degrees. Although parents play a role in assisting their children to gain knowledge about occupational preferences children do not necessarily follow their parents in the same occupational interests. Parents are a good source of career education for their offspring. While children have some idea about the hierarchical nature of occupational work, they are still unclear as to specific aspects of the supervisory role. As with adults generally, children appear to have limited knowledge about the specific tasks related to particular occupations. It appears from this study that the most common way children access occupational information is through the media. / The implications from this investigative study are that children will benefit from greater access to career education, commencing as early as primary school. In order to make realistic future occupational selections children win benefit from having more specific information regarding occupational tasks. It therefore follows that teachers need to be made aware or these implications and plan relevant curricula to address the specific needs or students. It is also evident that parents could assist this process by making themselves available to clearly discuss their work roles with their children.

This research sets out to identify (i) the perceptions of careers advisers and other relevant stakeholders about current career management practices provided for secondary school careers advisers by the NSWDET and (ii) the current and future career issues faced by NSWDET careers advisers in view of social political and economic changes in the last decade in so far as they impact upon their careers. In this thesis, career management is conceptualised as a process which involves employees becoming aware of their own interests, values, strengths and weaknesses, obtaining information about job opportunities within their organisation (and by implication, with other potential employers), identifying career goals and creating plans to achieve such goals. As such, the process is not exclusively driven by the employer, but is rather a joint responsibility. However to discover what the career management stakeholders viewed about the career management received by NSWDET secondary careers advisers, it was necessary to focus on what this employer had provided. To establish a set of criteria to discover the types and support for such career management, the schema of career management interventions provided by Arnold’s (1997) see Table 1.1, was used as an investigative tool. The conclusions reached are that there remain unmet challenges for the career management of secondary school careers advisers and indeed to the careers of these practitioners in NSWDET schools. An important outcome of this thesis will be to create a set of recommendations to guide the future course of managing the careers of these secondary school careers advisers. / M. Commerce (Hons.)

Thesis (M. Ed.(Educational Psychology))-University of Pretoria, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S. in Psychology)--Vanderbilt University, Aug. 2008. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed. Spec.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--Hochschule für Musik, Köln, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Samuel D. Johnson. Dissertation Committee: Winthrop Adkins. Bibliography: leaves 95-102.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1951. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Type C project. Sponsor: H. A. Scott. Dissertation Committee: W. S. Elsbree, J. L. Hutchinson, K. F. Herrold. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 174-180).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1957. / Typescript. Type C project. Sponsor: Esther Lloyd-Jones. Dissertation Committee: Karl W. Bigelow, Ralph R. Fields. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 300-318).