Relations of perceived barriers, acculturation, and role models to the career self -efficacy and career considerations of Hispanic women
Abstract
The number of Hispanic women participating in the labor force has increased considerably during the past decade. However, two thirds of the jobs held by Hispanic women in 1996 were in occupations that tend to be low paying and have little opportunity for advancement. Career research with this population needs to examine the factors that influence Hispanic women's occupational considerations so that efforts can be made to increase the types of occupations they would consider. This study examined, within the framework of Social Cognitive Career Theory, the relationships among perceived career barriers, role model influence, and acculturation on the career self-efficacy and career considerations of a sample of Hispanic women attending an urban community college. Participants completed measures of role model influence, acculturation, perceived career barriers, and career self-efficacy and consideration. Three hypotheses were proposed. Hypothesis 1 stated that the background variables of perceived career barriers, role model influence, and acculturation would predict Hispanic women's career self-efficacy. Hypothesis 2 stated that career self-efficacy would predict Hispanic women's occupational considerations. The third hypothesis stated that perceived career barriers and role model influence would each contribute to Hispanic women's career considerations. A path analysis was conducted to examine the causal relations among the variables and the career consideration of Hispanic women. Results of the path analysis provided support for Hypothesis 2: Career self-efficacy significantly contributed to Hispanic women's occupational considerations. Hypotheses 1 and 3 were not supported. The findings of this study are discussed in relation to current literature and implications for practice and future research are addressed.
Subject Area
Clinical psychology|Womens studies|Ethnic studies|Sociology
Recommended Citation
Rivera, Lourdes Milagros, "Relations of perceived barriers, acculturation, and role models to the career self -efficacy and career considerations of Hispanic women" (2002). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI3056154.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI3056154
