There is a presumption that women are not as career-oriented as men. This idea emerged from the historical setting where wives were restricted to housekeeping and men were the ones working for the family. However, according to recent findings, it may not be true. There is less or almost no gap between genders in terms of placing importance in one's career.
Using the 2010 Generations of Talent data of 9,210 employees from across 11 countries, a recent study was able to confirm whether or not there exist differences between males and females when it comes to career centrality. The large team was also able to examine how certain disparities relate to professional demands, gender role beliefs, and traditional expectations.
The research led by Stephen Sweet, an associate professor and chair of the Department of Sociology, analyzed each of the worker's caregiving responsibilities. Some structural factors were also considered, including job demands, working conditions and duration, job security, nature and diversity of works assigned, and access to work options, as stated in the press release.
With their data, it shows that for both men and women, the role of a family member or caregiver does not determine work identity. Women subjects were also more likely to have lower career centrality, but such observation was due to the fact that they were more frequently assigned to lower quality jobs. Traditional gender expectations also led men and women to be both less career centric, although the degree of influence was much stronger for women.
Gender disparities in career centrality are modest, which indicates that women's and men's identification with careers is more or less similar than what is commonly believed. Although there are slight differences, such were only evident in the countries of Japan and China, the authors write. It was also more of family needs that influence a person's fondness towards his or her work, where families having minor children were associated with higher career centrality for both genders.
With this research, Sweet argued that if only women are given the same job opportunities as men, there would definitely be no difference between the two genders in terms of the degree of career centrality.
The study appears in the online journal Community, Work & Family.
