Women in Male-Dominated Professions: Distinguishing Personality and Background Characteristics

Abstract

Samples of 64 women in atypical professions (As) and 71 equally educated women in sex-typical professions (Ss) were compared to determine personality and background correlates of female participation in male-dominated professions. Subjects were American born women under 50 years of age who held master's degrees and were employed in fields with over 75% male or female participation. They completed a biographical questionnaire, the Cattell 16PF, and the Bem Sex Role Inventory under three instructional sets. As predicted, As were more likely than Ss to be firstborn, to have had mothers who were employed after marriage, and to mention different influences on their career development, specifically the positive influences of men. Contrary to prediction, As were not less likely to have brothers than 5s and groups did not differ on the cluster of competency traits on the Cattell 16PF suggested by previous research. The personality differences found between As and 5s, such as the greater tough-mindedness and assertiveness of As, are seen as consistent with role demands of atypical employment, as were group differences in sex typing on the BSRI for the “on the job” instructional set. Group differences are discussed as supporting the enrichment hypothesis of Almquist and Angrist (1970), elaborated with Laws's social-learning interpretation of atypical career choice (1976). Some factors suggested in the literature as related to atypical career choice may relate more directly to academic achievement.