A CAUSAL MODEL OF THE CAREER ORIENTATION AND CAREER CHOICE OF ADOLESCENT WOMEN

The present study expanded on R. E. Fassinger's (1990) model of career choice in college women by testing 2 causal models of career choice a nd orientation with high school women. Ss were 409 adolescent women en rolled in their last year of high school in an all-female private libe ral arts high school in a large midwestern city. Structural equation m odeling analyses suggested that the career orientation and career choi ce of adolescent women were predicted by ability, agentic characterist ics, gender role attitudes, and relationship with mother. Young women who possessed liberal gender role attitudes, were instrumental and eff icacious with regard to math and careers, and exhibited moderate degre es of attachment and independence from their mothers valued their care er pursuits. Adolescent women who selected nontraditional and prestigi ous careers showed high ability and strong agentic characteristics.