Gender differences among Icelandic teenagers and young adults aged 16–24 are noticeable when it comes to their interests, expectations, and educational and career choices. Gender socialisation significantly influences the educational and career choices and dream jobs of young people. It is common for boys to choose careers associated with masculine stereotypes and for girls to opt for careers perceived as feminine. International studies have also shown that teenagers whose dream jobs contradicted their gender identity often changed their aspirations to align better with their gender.
Dream Jobs Are Performed by People of the Same Gender
According to the theories of John L. Holland, jobs in the labour market can be categorized into six fields that align with individuals’ interests. These fields are realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional. An Icelandic study from 2018 reveals that the gender gap in these six fields of interest among boys and girls remains relatively stable across age groups—students in primary, secondary, and tertiary education. However, this gap tends to narrow between the ages of 22 and 24, aligning with findings from other studies indicating that gender differences in career interests decrease with age.
Between the ages of 16 and 24, boys showed greater interest in the realistic field than girls. Boys also exhibited slightly more interest in the investigative field, although the difference was smaller. Girls showed more interest in the artistic field at ages 16–18, but by age 22, boys demonstrated greater interest in this area. By age 24, gender differences in artistic interests had disappeared. Girls displayed significantly higher interest in the social field, peaking at age 18. Minimal gender differences were observed in the enterprising field, with boys showing slightly more interest. Boys also showed greater interest in the conventional field, but by age 24, the gender gap had significantly diminished.
The differing interests of boys and girls influence their ideas about dream jobs. Girls’ dream jobs are often in education, healthcare, and social services, which aligns with the notion that socialisation instils more nurturing and caregiving traits in girls than in boys, leading them to pursue roles requiring these traits and associated with feminine stereotypes. Boys, on the other hand, are more likely to choose careers linked to masculine stereotypes. This aligns with international research showing that girls and boys often aspire to careers typically held by people of their own gender and that adhering to gender roles plays a key role in young people’s career choices. By around age 14, teenagers largely rule out careers they perceive as unsuitable for their gender. Research has also shown that children learn at a young age which jobs are deemed appropriate for their gender, shaping their future career choices.
Boys Have More Gendered Ideas About Careers Than Girls
The same study found that boys have more gendered ideas about dream jobs than girls. It is more important for men than women that their jobs align with their gender roles, and boys show less interest in feminine jobs compared to girls’ interest in masculine ones. Boys also appear reluctant to defy stereotypes and engage in roles that might weaken their gender identity, while girls seem less concerned about this.
Icelandic youth have thus internalised gendered perceptions of careers, partly due to gender socialisation that begins at birth. Boys and girls are taught appropriate behaviours based on their gender, leading to gendered interests and expectations. This, in turn, influences their educational choices and eventually their career paths in ways that align with traditional gender roles.
Combating Gendered Perceptions Through Career Education
Parents, teachers, and other socialisation agents bear significant responsibility for ensuring that children’s opportunities in education and careers are not limited by gendered upbringing or entrenched ideas about gender roles. It is therefore crucial to find ways to influence children’s and adolescents’ attitudes toward different careers, encouraging all genders to pursue their interests and carve their own paths in education and work.
Education can play a key role in this regard. Increased career education can reduce biases in educational and career choices. It is important to begin early with systematic career education in primary schools that incorporates a focus on gender equality. This approach can expose children and teenagers to a wide variety of careers and spark their interest in fields they might not have otherwise considered. Positive role models and firsthand experiences of different careers can influence individuals’ interests and career choices. When children and teenagers see people engaging in roles that defy traditional gender stereotypes, it can change their perceptions of appropriate gender behaviour and broaden their horizons regarding future possibilities.
Source:
Kynjaður veruleiki og væntingar til starfa. Þróun kynjamunar í starfsáhuga, draumastörfum og starfsreynslu á ungdómsárum / Gréta Björk Guðráðsdóttir
