Chapter 5: The Gendered Context of Career Values

Gender roles play a major part in determining career-related values and attitudes, particularly in relation to the work-family interface. Career practitioners must consider gender when designing interventions for clients. Traditional understandings of values related to career and other life roles are changing along with the economic and social climate of modern society. In this chapter, the gendered context of career values will be discussed. We will examine the interaction of the work role with other life roles (e.g., family roles), gender differences in role participation and commitment, changing gender role attitudes and values, work-family conflict, work-family enrichment, coping strategies, economic variables, and factors influencing life satisfaction for women and men.