Gender differences in the effects of teen employment upon adolescents' educational and occupational aspirations

Purpose - This study examines the relative influence of adolescent job characteristics upon girls' and boys' educational and occupational aspirations.

Design/methodology/approach - Using data from the 2010 Monitoring the Future Project, a nationally representative sample of high school seniors in the United States, descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses are used to examine variations in girls' and boys' aspirations. The analyses are conducted with a life-course theoretical framework.

Findings - Overall, girls are shown to have greater aspirations for attaining a college degree and a professional career, as compared to boys. However, the relationship between teenagers' job characteristics and adult statuses is shown to be substantially stronger among boys. For both sexes, work hours are associated with lower aspirations, yet the particular type of job responsibilities, such as office work, increased the aspirations for both females and males.

Research limitations/implications - The findings strongly support the contention that the development of educational and occupational aspirations is readily influenced by the context of work experiences during the teen years. Given the variations shown in the aspirations and work experiences of adolescent girls and boys, future researcher should attempt to more precisely examine the work experiences of teens and discern how these may affect other developmental processes.

Originality/value - This study extends the current research literature by examining the distinct differences in the work experiences of adolescent girls and boys and how those experiences potentially influence the development of educational and occupational goals.