Parental influence on the career choices of women: some cohort differences

Abstract

Social learning theory was used as the framework to investigate parental influences on the career choices of women. Parental modeling, reinforcement patterns, and attitudes were examined for their effect on the career choices of three groups of women: college age traditional, college age non-traditiona1, and re-entry women. The rationale for selecting these groups was that traditional and non-traditional college age females would represent the impact of diverse parental factors, and that an older re-entry group would demonstrate the effects of time on parental models, attitudes, and reinforcement patterns. Group leadership would then affect subsequent career choices.