Personality Antecedents of Career Orientation and Stability among Women Compared to Men

Abstract The study was part of the Jyvaskyla Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development in which 151 women and 160 men were followed from age 8 through age 36. Data were collected at ages 8, 14, 27, and 36 using teacher ratings, interviews, and personality inventories. The participants' career paths are defined in terms of “career orientation,” which is a composite score made up of four indicators: occupational status, education, present work situation, and career stability. In accordance with our hypotheses, the results for both sexes showed that high career orientation was explained by personality characteristics indicating high self-control of emotions (constructiveness, st…