title: Predicting adult occupational environments from gender and childhood personality traits.
abstract: To test aspects of a theory of the role of personality and gender on the development of vocational interests and their subsequent effects on adult occupational choices, the authors of this study examined associations among childhood personality traits, gender, and occupational environments more than 40 years later. Participants (N = 587) were assessed on the Big Five by their teachers when the participants were between 6 and 12 years old. In middle-age (late 40s), the participants reported their occupation. Holland's (1997) RIASEC vocational types (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventional) were used to characterize the job environments of reported occupations. Childhood Openness/Intellect and Conscientiousness, but no other Big Five traits, were associated with occupational environments. For the most strongly sex-typed work environments, associations with Openness/Intellect were moderated by gender. These findings suggest that the roots of the strongest gender-stereotyping effects in occupations may be found not only in the social factors associated with gender but also in the individual differences of children related to Openness/Intellect.
authors.affiliation: Aston Business School, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham B4 7ET, United Kingdom. S.A.Woods@aston.ac.uk
authors.forename: Stephen A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Hampson
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations; D010551:Personality; D013240:Stereotyping
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 1997 Mar;121(2):219-45
references.pmid: 9100487
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 2007 Jul;93(1):116-30
references.pmid: 17605593
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 1990 Dec;59(6):1216-29
references.pmid: 2283588
references.citation: Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2007 Jan;13(1):35-44
references.pmid: 17227175
references.citation: Health Psychol. 2006 Jan;25(1):57-64
references.pmid: 16448298
references.citation: J Clin Psychol. 1957 Oct;13(4):315-27
references.pmid: 13463129
references.citation: Am Psychol. 1997 May;52(5):509-16
references.pmid: 9145021
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 1995 Mar;117(2):187-215
references.pmid: 7724687
references.citation: Perspect Psychol Sci. 2007 Dec;2(4):313-45
references.pmid: 26151971
references.citation: Health Psychol. 2007 Jan;26(1):121-5
references.pmid: 17209705
references.citation: J Pers. 2005 Oct;73(5):1321-53
references.pmid: 16138875
references.citation: Annu Rev Psychol. 2007;58:543-64
references.pmid: 16903809
references.citation: J Pers. 2001 Oct;69(5):709-43
references.pmid: 11575511
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 2009 Nov;135(6):859-884
references.pmid: 19883140