RESEARCHER’S DIGEST

Dr Julia Yates, Senior Lecturer in Organisational Psychology at City, University of London, shares her latest digest of careers-related research.

01 GENDERED PERCEPTIONS OF OCCUPATIONS

Hancock, A. J., Clarke, H. M., & Arnold, K. A. (2020), Sexual orientation occupational stereotypes, Journal of Vocational Behavior, 103427.

We all know that stereotypes of jobs exist and that, despite our best efforts, they influence career choices, often limiting individuals’ horizons and reinforcing social inequalities. However, although they are widespread and invidious, they aren’t really very well understood. The authors of this study (based in Canada) examined occupational stereotypes linked to sexual orientation, asking participants to say whether they would assume someone doing a particular job would be likely to be homosexual or heterosexual. They identified six ‘gay jobs’ (by which they mean that most participants said that they would assume that a man working in one of the roles would be gay): hairdresser, make-up artist, fashion designer, dancer, dressmaker and interior decorator. In contrast, they found no occupations which they could similarly categorise as ‘lesbian jobs’. The lack of ‘lesbian jobs’, they suggest, could be linked to the invisibility of lesbian sexuality in the workplace – the failure of others to recognise the significance of lesbian sexuality. The study also found (unsurprisingly, but disheartening nonetheless) that male jobs tend to have higher prestige than female jobs, and gay jobs have lower prestige than heterosexual jobs. On a slightly more optimistic note, they also found that gendered perceptions of occupations are lessening over time.

02 MEDICAL SPECIALISM AND GENERAL PRACTICE

Harris, M., Wainwright, D., & Wainwright, E. (2020), What influences young doctors in their decision-making about general practice as a possible career? A qualitative study, Education for Primary Care, 31(1), 15-23.

I thought this one might be of particular interest to those of you working with medics, helping them to choose their specialisms. There is a significant shortage of GPs in the country, and the authors of this study spoke to medical students to try and shed some light on why general practice is not as popular as other medical specialisms. They found that GPs were often the butt of jokes amongst the medical students, but that this kind of banter did not seem to actually influence medics’ choices. The students saw plenty of positives within general practice, seeing that GPs have interesting and varied jobs. However, it seems that they are put off by the isolation and loneliness that they associated with the specialism. This is an interesting finding and one that the medical profession might be wise to address. Students’ views were influenced by their experiences on placement, so that might be a useful place to start.

03 MEASURING THE IMPACT OF CAREER MODULES

Osborn, D. S., Sides, R. D., & Brown, C. A. (2020), Comparing Career Development Outcomes Among Undergraduate Students in Cognitive Information Processing Theory–Based Versus Human Relations Courses, The Career Development Quarterly, 68(1), 32-47.

I’m always on the lookout for articles that offer some evidence of the benefits of career interventions, so I was pleased to find this study exploring the impact of a university careers module. The 50-hour employability module was based on the Cognitive Information Processing Theory of Jim Sampson and colleagues (if you haven’t come across this before, do look it up – it’s definitely worth a read) and focused on self-knowledge, knowledge of options and decision making. The study compared 150 undergraduate students on the careers module with 50 similar students enrolled on a human resources module at the same time. Their results were encouraging, finding that compared to the control group, the students on the careers module made small but significant gains in career decision state, cognitive information processing skills, career decision‐making stage, knowledge of next steps, and anxiety about current career concern, although no significant improvement on their decision making. It’s definitely good to see some evidence that career modules have a positive impact on students’ career skills, but I did find it a bit disheartening to note that the improvements, although significant, were small. This seems a disappointing return on 50 hours of input.

04 EXPLORING CAREER INACTION

Verbruggen, M., & De Vos, A. (2020), When people don’t realize their career desires: toward a theory of career inaction, Academy of Management Review, 45(2), 376-394.

This is one of the most interesting articles I’ve read for some time, as it goes some way to explaining a phenomenon I have observed through the years (possibly even experienced myself). Career inaction is the term used to describe a client who knows what they want and knows what they need to do, but still does nothing. The authors offer a theory to account for it, suggesting it is stimulated by two common human tendencies – delaying decision making and avoiding action. Building on an area of research called the psychology of doing nothing, they highlight three reasons for inaction: 1) fear and anxiety, which are often associated with uncertain outcomes; 2) short term thinking, which leads to people prioritising their short term comforts over long term ambitions; and 3) cognitive overload. These three are all commonly associated with career decisions, as career choices almost always have uncertain outcomes, often require some short term sacrifice for long term gains, and can be hugely complex, requiring a lot of cognitive power. Career inaction eventually leads to counterfactual thoughts – mulling over what might have been, which can lead to self-blame, regret, low self-esteem, low job satisfaction and even poor health. Career guidance can help by encouraging people to try to make sense of their decision, to see it within the context of a whole career story, and to forgive themselves.

If you would like further details about any of the research featured in this issue’s round-up, please email julia.yates.1@city.ac.uk