‘Girls Can Be Doctors … Can't They?’: Sex Differences in Career Aspirations

The present study reports occupational aspirations for a group of 7, 10 and 15 year old children. The sample consisted of 262 girls and 187 boys from government schools located in three Sydney suburbs, which were rated 4 on a seven‐point suburban status scale. The overwhelming majority of both boys and girls aspired to occupations which either could be considered to be stereotypic of, or are dominated by, their own sex. Boys said they wanted to become tradesmen, members of the armed forces and the police force, and members of the male dominated professions. Girls said they wanted to become nurses, teachers and secretaries and, especially 7 and 10 year olds, to marry and have children. Only two boys and 24 girls chose occupations that could be considered to be stereotypic of the opposite sex. These sex differences were as evident in the responses of 7 year olds as they were in the responses of 15 year olds. However, the occupational choices of 7 and 10 year olds, in contrast to those of 15 year olds, were more descriptive, contained a higher fantasy element, and in general represented a higher level of aspiration. Despite the current concern about sex roles children's employment aspirations, therefore, still appear to be very much restricted by traditional gender stereotypes. The finding that 7 year olds' responses reflected these stereotypes as much as those of the older children, especially highlights the need for efforts to broaden children's career awareness and aspirations to be made at a much earlier age than is currently the case.