Abstract
One hundred ten women in both traditional and nontraditional professions were compared on childhood play and related socialization experiences. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects that different play experiences had on career choices of professional women. A survey questionnaire on play experiences and related factors was administered to the subjects. Chi Squares and t-tests for differences between means revealed significant differences among subgroups of women on several independent variables. Professional business women had participated more in competitive sports as children, and-along with women in other nontraditional professions-reported more male playmates and fewer female playmates than did women in traditional professions. Forms of encouragement by fathers differed from that of mothers, and women in nontraditional professions received different forms of parental encouragement than women in traditional professions.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Beuf, A. Doctor, lawyer, household drudge. Journal of Communication, 1974, 24, 142–145.
Chafetz, J. Masculine/feminine or human. Itasca, IL: Prescock, 1974.
Epstein, Cynthia, F. Deceptive Distinctions: Sex, Gender and the Social Order. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press, 1988.
Facts on women workers. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, 1982.
Fagot, B. Teacher and peer reactions to boys' and girls play styles. Sex Roles, 1984, 11, 7/8, 691–702.
Fouad, N. & Kammer, P. Work values of women with differing sex-role orientations. Journal of Career Development, 1989, 15, 188–197.
Galejas, I., King, A. & Hegland, S. Antecedents of achievement motivation in preschool children. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 1986, 148, 333–348.
Galejas, I. & Stockdale, D. Social competence, school behaviors, and cooperative-competitive preferences: Assessments by parents, teachers, and school-age children. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 1982, 141, 243–252.
Hennig, M. & Jardim, A. The managerial woman. New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1977.
Hoffman, L. Early childhood experiences and women's achievement motives. Journal of Social Issues, 1972, 28, 129–155.
Honig, A. Research in review: Sex role socialization in early childhood. Young Children, 1983, 38, 57–69.
Kacerguis, M. & Adams, G. Implications of sex typed child rearing practices, toys, and mass media materials in restricting occupational choices of women. The Family Coordinator, July, 1979, 369–375.
Kinsey, A., Pomeroy, W., Martin, C. & Gebhard, P. Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders, 1953.
Lever, J. Sex differences in the complexity of children's play & games. American Sociological Review, 1978, 43, 471–83.
Maccoby, E. & Jacklin, C. The psychology of sex differences. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1974.
Parson, J. & Ruble, D. The development of achievement related expectancies. Child Development, 1977, 48, 1075–1079.
Reingold, H. & Cook, K. The content of boy's and girl's rooms as an index to parents' behavior. Child Development, 1975, 46, 459–463.
Sage, G. & Loudermilk, S. The female athlete and role conflict. Research Quarterly, 1979, 50, 88–96.
Schuler, R. Male and female routes to managerial success. The Personnel Administrator, 1979, 24, 35–44.
Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1987. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce, 1987.
Williams, S. & McCullers, J. Personal factors related to typicalness of career and success in active professional women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 1983, 7, 343–57.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Coats, P.B., Overman, S.J. Childhood play experiences of women in traditional and nontraditional professions. Sex Roles 26, 261–271 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00289911
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00289911