Occupational Choices of Sydney Teenagers: Relationships with Sex, Social Class, Grade Level and Parent Expectations

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Abstract
Occupational choices were studied for a cross-section of 876 Sydney students in Years 6–12. Clear sex differences in occupational choice were observed confirming results of overseas studies. Girls chose different types of jobs from boys, and confined themselves to a more restricted range of jobs. While job decisiveness was found to increase with grade level, it was apparent that particular choice points in the course of schooling (viz. years 10 and 12 at high school, and year 6 before entry to high school) also influence extent of decisiveness. Occupational choice was further found to be related to social class. Adolescents from lower social class backgrounds tended to choose jobs requiring less further education and of a lower status, while adolescents from higher social class backgrounds chose jobs requiring more further education and higher in status. The results were interpreted as illustrating how particular socialization processes relating to social class and sex operate to narrow what is regarded as an acceptable occupation.