title: Sex and developmental differences by complexity of functions of occupational aspirations of school children across ten years.
abstract: The present longitudinal study examined the complexity of workers' functions for 65 children's occupational aspirations during a 10-yr. span beginning when the children were 7 yr. old and in Grade 2. Every two years through the senior year in high school, the children were interviewed, for a total of six interviews. Sex and developmental differences in occupational aspirations were examined with respect to the focus on Data, People, or Things. Girls (n=31) selected occupational aspirations requiring greater complexity in People functions throughout the study. From G;rades 2 to 8 boys chose occupations with greater complexity of Things and girls chose occupations with greater complexity of Data. Developmentally, all children chose increasingly more complex Data occupations from Grades 2 to 12. Occupational aspirations in high school showed a decrease in the complexity of workers' functions involving People and Things. These observations would be expected from social cognitive theory and the 1981 career development theory of Gottfredson.
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado at Denver, 80217-3364, USA. ahelwig@sprintmail.com
authors.forename: Andre A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Helwig
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002321:Career Choice; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009790:Occupations; D012737:Sex Factors