Women outnumber men in the workplace and career goals of today’s teen females indicates it may stay that way for a long time, a Junior Achievement-ING poll shows.
Girls lag behind boys in choosing careers in math and science – only 10 percent of girls picked engineering and science versus 19 percent of boys, the poll found. Two percent of girls are pursuing careers in computers versus eight percent of boys.
However, girls are choosing careers that are and will continue to be in high demand – 20 percent of girls want to be doctors versus 9 percent of boys, and 13 percent of girls are pursuing teaching versus 4 percent of boys, the poll showed.
“Despite some interesting gaps among young women and men, we’re seeing that all teens are thinking very seriously about their career paths,” said Jack E. Kosakowski, president of Junior Achievement USA.
Junior Achievement promotes work preparedness and financial literacy among youth through affiliates in Connecticut and nationwide.
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Motivation to succeed stems from very different places for boys and girls. The JA-ING poll found that fewer girls than boys said they needed perks such as a promotion and raise (girls 38 percent, boys 56 percent) to excel on the job.
Asked if they needed additional motivation to succeed, 40 percent of girls answered they did not, while only 22 percent of boys said they needed no extra motivation.
Also, when asked what would motivate them to take a less than ideal job, the poll found that fewer girls say they are motivated by a higher salary than boys, with 67 percent girl respondents saying they were motivated by a higher salary versus 74 percent of boy respondents.
Boys and girls also had differing opinions on how to prepare for career success. While 85 percent of girls identified schools programs, such as job shadowing, that help develop work skills and prepare them for a career, only 78 percent of boys identified the above as important for career readiness. Furthermore, girls (68 percent) placed more value on mentoring and networking than boys (61 percent) in helping them get a good job.
The poll by Opinion Research Corp. from Dec. 10-13, 2009 surveyed 750 U.S. boys and girls ages 12-17 by telephone. The survey’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.4 percent.
