The principle of gender conformity in women's career development
2015
Racene, A., Latvia Univ. of Agriculture, Jelgava (Latvia). Inst. of Education and Home Economics
In any domain where a different situation between men and women is observed, the cause is the public’s stereotypes on the role, behaviour, appearance, mental abilities, etc. of one or another gender. These viewpoints are obsolete and sometimes do not fit the real situation. One of the domains where a considerable influence of stereotypes may be observed is the choice of an education based on gender. The present paper includes the results of research on the influence of gender conformity principles on women’s career development. The research aim is to find out whether the principle of gender conformity is present in women’s careers. A questionnaire survey of practicing career consultants was carried out to achieve the aim. The survey revealed what communication theory statements on women might be attributed to women in Latvia and whether there were stereotypes regarding women’s and men’s professions and whether the glass ceiling might be observed in women’s careers. Finally, it was concluded that even though gender equality theoretically existed in Latvia, there were still some stereotypes on men’s and women’s professions; the glass ceiling was not a widespread phenomenon, while in some kinds of jobs it might be observed, and the reality in Latvia was in line with the gender communication theory and communication differences might be observed for women in a team. The present research will contribute to the understanding of women’s career barriers and encourage conducting in-depth research on gender equality in Latvia and the EU.
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