Stereotyping of jobs by sex has a restricting effect on both sexes, but it has had a disproportionately negative impact on women. The need for methods to counteract occupational stereotyping is widely recognized (Steiger and Schlesinger, 1979; Monthly Labor Review, 1976). Since role modeling has been found in many settings to be a forceful factor in modifying behavior, Bandura's (1971) observational learning through role modeling formed the rationale for the study. This study proposes to answer the question, "Will using female role models in nontraditional careers for women affect the choice of high school girls in selecting nontraditional occupations for themselves?".;Forty high school girls enrolled in a Career Decision Making course were randomly placed in two groups. Group 1 consisted of twenty girls who received information about specific nontraditional occupations for women from women role models who worked in those occupations. Group 1 was referred to as the experimental group, while Group 2 which consisted of twenty girls who received the same occupational information from the classroom teacher, was referred to as the control group.;After treatment which covered eight sessions of thirty minutes each, the two groups were administered the following measurements: an occupational selection list, a display of brochures, a Career and Educational Planning Card, the California Occupational Preference System interest inventory, and an Attitude Assessment Scale. Data were analyzed using a Chi square test of significance.;Results were as follows: (1) Subjects in Group 1 chose more nontraditional occupations than those in Group 2 to a significant (p. = .0002) degree on the occupational selection list and approached significance (p. = .06) on the Career and Educational Planning Card. Group 1 chose more nontraditional occupations on all measurements although not to a significant degree on all measurements. (2) The Attitude Assessment Scale indicated a highly favorable attitude toward all role models. The influence of the classroom teacher as a model was recognized. (3) Role modeling was found to be effective as a technique in counteracting occupational stereotyping in high school girls.;Recommendations for further research in this area are included.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:wm.edu/oai:scholarworks.wm.edu:etd-1993 |
| Date | 01 January 1982 |
| Creators | Helms, Nancy Eddins |
| Publisher | W&M ScholarWorks |
| Source Sets | William and Mary |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects |
| Rights | © The Author |
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