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What will I be when I grow up? The impact of gender identity threat on adolescents' occupational preferences

Sinclair, Samantha LU and Carlsson, Rickard LU (2013) In Journal of Adolescence 36(3). p.465-474
Abstract
The present study examined the impact of gender identity threat on adolescents' occupational preferences. Two hundred and ninety-seven adolescents (45% girls, M age = 14.4, SD = .54) participated in the experiment. There were substantial differences between boys' and girls' occupational preferences. Importantly, adolescents who received a threat to their gender identity became more stereotypical in job preferences, suggesting a causal link between threatened gender identity and stereotypical preferences. A comparison threat to one's capability did not have this effect, indicating a unique effect of gender identity threat. Further, individual differences in gender identity concerns predicted gender stereotypical preferences, and this... (More)
The present study examined the impact of gender identity threat on adolescents' occupational preferences. Two hundred and ninety-seven adolescents (45% girls, M age = 14.4, SD = .54) participated in the experiment. There were substantial differences between boys' and girls' occupational preferences. Importantly, adolescents who received a threat to their gender identity became more stereotypical in job preferences, suggesting a causal link between threatened gender identity and stereotypical preferences. A comparison threat to one's capability did not have this effect, indicating a unique effect of gender identity threat. Further, individual differences in gender identity concerns predicted gender stereotypical preferences, and this finding was replicated with an independent sample (N = 242). In conclusion, the results suggest that threats to adolescents' gender identity may contribute to the large gender segregation on the labor market. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Gender identity threat, Gender identity concerns, Occupational preferences, Adolescents
in
Journal of Adolescence
volume
36
issue
3
pages
465 - 474
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000320350700004
  • scopus:84877033498
  • pmid:23462199
ISSN
1095-9254
DOI
10.1016/j.adolescence.2013.02.001
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
b1ee2411-43e5-4bff-95e4-6be1cf2443bc (old id 3516486)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:04:53
date last changed
2022-03-04 07:55:30
@article{b1ee2411-43e5-4bff-95e4-6be1cf2443bc,
  abstract     = {{The present study examined the impact of gender identity threat on adolescents' occupational preferences. Two hundred and ninety-seven adolescents (45% girls, M age = 14.4, SD = .54) participated in the experiment. There were substantial differences between boys' and girls' occupational preferences. Importantly, adolescents who received a threat to their gender identity became more stereotypical in job preferences, suggesting a causal link between threatened gender identity and stereotypical preferences. A comparison threat to one's capability did not have this effect, indicating a unique effect of gender identity threat. Further, individual differences in gender identity concerns predicted gender stereotypical preferences, and this finding was replicated with an independent sample (N = 242). In conclusion, the results suggest that threats to adolescents' gender identity may contribute to the large gender segregation on the labor market.}},
  author       = {{Sinclair, Samantha and Carlsson, Rickard}},
  issn         = {{1095-9254}},
  keywords     = {{Gender identity threat; Gender identity concerns; Occupational preferences; Adolescents}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{465--474}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Journal of Adolescence}},
  title        = {{What will I be when I grow up? The impact of gender identity threat on adolescents' occupational preferences}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2013.02.001}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.adolescence.2013.02.001}},
  volume       = {{36}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}