Vocational Choices of Young Women: Family Factors, Sexism and Academic Motivations

Abstract

This study delves into the influential factors shaping the vocational pathways of young women who completed their final year of high school in Chilean educational institutions in 2021. With a focus on three  key elements - a) family influence, b) sexist representations, and c) academic motivations - a qualitative approach using a biographical design was employed. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight young women: four of them were planning to pursue feminized careers and four masculinized careers. The findings underscore that the vocational decisions are gradually shaped by stereotypes, values and beliefs shared by their families throughout their life trajectories. The family, especially the mother, serves as an important referent in future decisions. Students who plan to pursue masculinized careers find motivation in male family members who studied the same or similar careers, whom they see as a source of support. Finally, adolescent girls tend to choose feminized careers driven by a desire to nurture others and as a gesture of gratitude towards maternal labor.