Changing Patterns in Career Choices among African-American, Hispanic and Anglo Children

The social, political and economic climate of the country over the past three decades has fostered several change agents that have influenced the composition of the present-day workforce (Axelson, 1993; Herr, & Niles, 1994; Leung,1995). When looking at the workforce of today, as compared to that of the 1950s, marked differences can be noted from decade to decade. The civil rights movement of the 1960s served as a change agent by which many ethnic minorities, particularly African Americans, moved from traditional service occupations into careers that required varying types of education. The ruling Brown v. Topeka led to desegregation of schools and encouraged African Americans to pursue various career options (Leung, 1995). Another change agent that contributed to the alteration of the U.S. workforce was the women's rights movement, which gained momentum in the early 1970s. As a result, women demanded equality, and a greater number of women chose nontraditional careers. The women's rights movement also shaped the nature of the present-day workforce by substantially increasing the number of women workers. Axelson (1993) notes that:"In 1900, women 16 years of age and over constituted 19% of the civilian workforce, 43% in 1970, 52% in 1980, and 58% in 1990" (p. 262). The choice to work outside of the home may be based on a variety of reasons, ranging from financial security to personal fulfillment. Interest in the effects these changes have had on children's career choices has been the focus of numerous and varied research studies (Gregg & Dobson,1980; Hughes, Martinek, & Fitzgerald,1985; Kencht, 1976). Information detailing the career aspirations and expectations of children, as well as their patterns of occupational choice, has become more pronounced in recent years. The study presented here sought to survey the vocational aspirations of male and female Anglo, African-American, and Hispanic elementary school children. The authors were prompted by studies conducted by Looft (1971) and Biehler (1982) that examined the career choices of elementary school children. The major question was: Have the career choices of Anglo, African-American, and Hispanic children changed over the past two decades? GENDER AS A FACTOR IN CHOICE Much of the research on children and career choice has concentrated on the sex-typing of occupations (Biehler, 1982; Hughes et al.,1985; Looft,1971; Selkow, 1984; Stroeher,1994). Selkow (1984) investigated the effects of maternal employment on young children's vocational aspirations. The results suggest that children of working mothers choose a greater number of occupations and more masculine-oriented occupations than do children of mothers who do not work. In addition, girls and boys whose mothers are employed in nontraditional fields tend to aspire to less sex-traditional careers. The effects of self-esteem on the sex-role attitudes and career choices of children were investigated by Hughes et al. (1985). They found that boys with high self-esteem hold more traditional notions concerning sex roles in the workplace. Girls with high self-esteem tend to choose more nontraditional careers. In addition, strong societal norms, along with the prestige associated with masculine occupations, were cited as factors influencing boys' career choices, regardless of self-esteem. From the responses of 64 first and second graders (31 boys and 33 girls) to the question "What do you want to be when you grow up? " Looft (1971) reported that nine boys chose football player and four chose policeman. Less frequent choices were doctor, dentist, priest, pilot, and astronaut. Among the girls, 14 chose nurse and 11 chose teacher. The occupations less frequently selected by girls were mother, stewardess, and salesgirl. One girl selected doctor. To determine if the women's movement had overcome some of the influences of sexist books, television, and the like, Biehler (1982) repeated Looft's survey and extended it through sixth grade. …