Self-ageism among women in Greece: The role of burnout in career decision-making self-efficacy

Abstract

The present research attempts to identify the role of age in women’s working lives. It studies the factors and aspects of women’s working lives that are affected by age and whether the burnout they experience affects their self-efficacy in the way they make professional decisions. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Greece. To obtain the data a structured, online, self-administered questionnaire was used. The questionnaire consists of 25 questions referring to the variable of burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory — MBI), 25 questions concerning self-efficacy in career decision-making (career decision self-efficacy scale short form — CDSES-SF), and 25 questions concerning demographic data. The collected data was processed using the R language. The findings show that age and gender are very important factors influencing career development (Aliyev & Tunc, 2015). Age, therefore, plays a key role in women’s working lives (Loretto et al., 2000). The study adds value to existing research on ageism by focusing on the consequences for women’s professional lives in Greece. The findings can help in the formulation and development of targeted interventions to empower women and train them to improve their self-efficacy in terms of professional decision-making.