The Experience of Sexism on Career Aspirations in College Women
Presenter(s)
Sayeeda T. Khan, Gabby Becker
Abstract
Benevolent and hostile sexism are considerably prevalent in American culture. Benevolent sexism includes valuing traditional gender roles and attitudes, whereas hostile sexism includes punishing women who step outside of traditional gender roles. People may perceive benevolent sexism as less harmful than hostile sexism, but both can have effects on women's wellbeing. Previous research emphasizes the effects of women's own attitudes as opposed to their experiences with others. This study aims to explore the effects that experiencing sexism has on career aspirations in college women. 308 college women completed self-report questionnaires regarding their career aspirations, experience with benevolent sexism, and experience with hostile sexism. We performed separate regression analyses for five different dependent variables. They were: Overall career aspirations, achievement aspirations, leadership aspirations, education aspirations, and family career orientation. Predictor variables included three types of experiences with benevolent sexism and experiences of hostile sexism. These experiences were significantly predictive of career achievement, educational aspiration, and family career orientation. These results suggest that these types of sexism reinforce certain career paths for women.
College
College of Liberal Arts
Department
Psychology
Campus
Winona
First Advisor/Mentor
Elizabeth Russell
Location
Kryzsko Great River Ballroom, Winona, Minnesota; United States
Start Date
4-23-2026 10:00 AM
End Date
4-23-2026 11:00 AM
Presentation Type
Poster Session
Format of Presentation or Performance
In-Person
Session
1b=10am-11am
Poster Number
62
The Experience of Sexism on Career Aspirations in College Women
Kryzsko Great River Ballroom, Winona, Minnesota; United States
Benevolent and hostile sexism are considerably prevalent in American culture. Benevolent sexism includes valuing traditional gender roles and attitudes, whereas hostile sexism includes punishing women who step outside of traditional gender roles. People may perceive benevolent sexism as less harmful than hostile sexism, but both can have effects on women's wellbeing. Previous research emphasizes the effects of women's own attitudes as opposed to their experiences with others. This study aims to explore the effects that experiencing sexism has on career aspirations in college women. 308 college women completed self-report questionnaires regarding their career aspirations, experience with benevolent sexism, and experience with hostile sexism. We performed separate regression analyses for five different dependent variables. They were: Overall career aspirations, achievement aspirations, leadership aspirations, education aspirations, and family career orientation. Predictor variables included three types of experiences with benevolent sexism and experiences of hostile sexism. These experiences were significantly predictive of career achievement, educational aspiration, and family career orientation. These results suggest that these types of sexism reinforce certain career paths for women.
Comments
Becker, Gabby; Omangi, Emerson E; Khan, Sayeeda T; Petty, Caroline G; Tanner, Maria M