Diversity and Women's Career Development

From Adolescence to Adulthood

How do women make career choices? What difference does cultural or economic background make for a woman's career development? How do women's and men's career development patterns compare? In Diversity and Women's Career Development, Helen S. Farmer and her associates present a variety of perspectives on career development for women. Their analysis and discussion grow out of an extensive study that looked at high school students in 1980, and then followed up with them in 1990 and 1993. The data provide glimpses into influences on women's life choices and motivation, goals and obstacles to reaching them, and comparisons of women's and men's career development patterns. They also offer insights into differences among ethnic and socioeconomic groups, as well as the influence of family on career development. Using the rich, longitudinal quantitative and qualitative data from this study, the authors examine issues surrounding women's career development, specifically focusing on motivation and persistence among women in particular career paths, and among diverse groups of women. The authors also allow the subjects of the study to speak in their own voices, illustrating vividly the personal processes involved in their career decision-making. This book will expand and enrich the work of anyone interested in women's careers, the impact of ethnicity and family on career development, and how girls and young women approach making life choices. Human resource development professionals will also find it useful and illuminating.