ARTICLE
Gender and career optimism—The effects of gender-specific perceptions of lecturer support, career barriers and self-efficacy on career optimism
Stephanie C. Aymans,
Timo Kortsch,
Simone Kauffeld,
Stephanie C. Aymans
Department of Industrial/Organizational and Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorTimo Kortsch
Department of Industrial/Organizational and Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorSimone Kauffeld
Department of Industrial/Organizational and Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorStephanie C. Aymans,
Timo Kortsch,
Simone Kauffeld,
Stephanie C. Aymans
Department of Industrial/Organizational and Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorTimo Kortsch
Department of Industrial/Organizational and Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorSimone Kauffeld
Department of Industrial/Organizational and Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
enFemale university graduates tend to have less career success than their male counterparts. Career optimism is considered a crucial predictor of future career success, but little is known about predictors of career optimism. Based on Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), we hypothesised that both perceived lecturer support and perceived career barriers impact career optimism via students’ self-efficacy, and differentiated the model along gender lines using a subgroup path analysis. Two hundred and thirty-two undergraduate psychology students from German universities answered an online questionnaire. Results revealed that the expected indirect effect of perceived lecturer support and perceived career barriers on career optimism via self-efficacy was only identifiable in women. For men, we found a direct connection between perceived lecturer support and career optimism, as well as that an increase in perceived career barriers reduced males’ self-efficacy. We were unable to identify any sex differences in career optimism.
Zusammenfassung
deWeibliche Universitätsabsolventen haben weniger Karriereerfolg als männliche. Ein entscheidender Prädiktor für Karriereerfolg scheint Berufsoptimismus zu sein, allerdings fehlen umfassende Erkenntnisse, wie man Berufsoptimusmus fördern kann. Basierend auf der Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) wurde untersucht, wie die wahrgenommene Unterstützung des Dozierenden und die wahrgenommenen Berufsbarrieren einen Einfluss auf den Berufsoptimismus mediiert über die studentische Selbstwirksamkeit haben. Zweihundertzweiunddreißig Psychologiestudierende wurden mittels eines Online-Fragebogens befragt. Die Ergebnisse der beiden geschlechtsspezifischen Pfadanalysen bestätigten nur für Frauen die angenommenen indirekten Effekte. Bei Männern zeigten sich direkte Effekte von der Dozierendenunterstützung auf den Berufsoptimismus sowie von den Berufsbarrieren auf die Selbstwirksamkeit. Einen Unterschied im Berufsoptimismus konnte zwischen den Geschlechtern nicht gefunden werden.
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