Preschoolers are already thinking about the careers they will have when they grow up. At this early stage, they also tend to exclude jobs that do not suit their gender.
Four-year-olds have shown a strong gender bias towards jobs. Girls typically choose female occupations, while boys are more interested in typically male occupations. Preschoolers seem reluctant to adopt gender-sensitive roles.
To counteract the impact of gender stereotypes on careers, many educators with whom I have spoken in my research recommend that work-based learning take place in the early elementary years. There is concern that students' choice of subject and career in the years 8-10 was genuinely gender specific.
Lessons learned in 50 countries show that far fewer girls study mathematics and science by the year 10 because of this gender segregation. It is unlikely that students who have not completed advanced mathematics study pursue a male-dominated science, engineering, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) post-school career.
An exclusion process also takes place for boys. Very few boys follow the path typically dominated by women, such as welfare, nursing and education. This leads to a shortage of men in these key roles.
This early reflection on the work of men and women in children emerges from the roles they see in their families, schools, books, toys and media. A quick walk in a toy store provides ample evidence that few toys for girls have a non-traditional professional relationship.
Freedom of choice, but ...
The students in my research said they feel free to choose a career. However, in-depth interviews with them revealed that they were discouraged from their male-dominated career because of gender stereotypes, especially in the occupations.
One student noted the effects of gender stereotypes by saying:
I do not think they [girls] do what they want. They do more or suggest what society requires of them. The society tells them that [...] boys do that, girls do that.
High-performing female students seem to break the gender barriers in typically male-dominated occupations more than peers in vocational occupations. For example, in Australia, about 15% of women are enrolled in engineering, although this figure was already 22% for the UNSW. However, the number of female apprentices and apprentices participating in male-dominated vocational training such as electrical engineering, automotive engineering, engineering and construction is below 5%.
Overcoming gender stereotypes is important for industry, business and young people
Overcoming gender segregation in occupations is important to industry and the economy. Women's low labor participation rates and the segregation of women into existing female-dominated sectors contribute to labor market rigidity, sub-optimal productivity and economic inefficiency, as women's skills are under-utilized.
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The Minerals Council of Australia has called for "women wanted" to counteract the upward pressure on labor costs due to skills shortages.
It is important for women who are determined to reduce the gender pay gap and improve economic opportunities for women.
It is important that men and boys should also have the freedom to follow their interests and not be discouraged by lower status and lower wages associated with female-dominated occupations.
The average weekly income for female technicians and craftsmen in Australia is $ 917 and for males $ 1304. This corresponds to a gender pay gap of 29.7%.
Current professional development practice
Professional practice and theory in Britain and Australia have been criticized for not doing enough to challenge the influence of gender stereotypes.
The educators I interviewed said they wanted to do more for career interventions, but were hampered by a lack of time and resources.
In Australia, a national career development strategy has been developed. It recognizes that career development is a lifetime. However, in order to cope with the lifelong consequences of gender stereotypes for children at school, better resources must be provided.
To ensure that national career strategies are more responsive to the needs of girls and women, the national women's network "economicSecurity4Women" suggested that the Federal Government Commission use career guidance models specifically for the needs of girls.
In the UK, a career-based learning project for elementary schools was launched in 2007, the aim of which is to "prevent stereotyping and self-limiting thinking". The program overview has had some successes:
The results of the student survey showed that during the course of the evaluation, Pathfinder students experienced a greater decline in stereotyped thinking and a greater improvement in their perception of the effectiveness of career-based learning in their school than peer classmates.
In the UK, a guide for teachers to tackle gender stereotypes through existing teaching activities without the need for new curricula and resources is being used wisely.
The Department of Education and Communities in New South Wales continued to promote career-based learning in elementary schools at the Career Development Association National Conference in Perth last week.
Young people need to see that they have the freedom to choose between different careers - not the gender specific ones that have been maintained in books, media, toys and magazines - and this way of thinking has to start from a young age.
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