To be a mother and a scientist

a post by Magdolna Hargittai for the OUP (Oxford University Press) blog

Laboratory by jarmoluk. Public domain via Pixabay.      

Years ago, while researching my book Women Scientists I asked famous women scientists to name the greatest challenge in their life. Almost without exception, they noted the difficulty of adjusting their family obligations and their work. Chemist Rita Cornforth, wife and colleague of the Nobel laureate John W. Cornforth, said: “I found it easier to put chemistry out of my mind when I was at home than to put our children out of my mind when I was in the lab.” The famous MIT professor Mildred Dresselhaus, often called “the queen of carbon science,” complained that with four children, it was impossible to get to work before 8:30 a.m., but her supervisor wanted her to be at work by 8 a.m. “The people who were judging me were all bachelors.” Similar examples in my interviews abound. I am not unfamiliar with this issue myself, having been a practicing scientist and mother of two (now adult) children.

It bothered me that so few women make it to the top of their profession in most STEM fields, so I have worked to spotlight these women and to provide role models for those young women who are considering science as a profession for themselves, but who are apprehensive about the potential sacrifices they might have to make in their family lives. When I talked about the difficulties with the first female full professor of chemistry of the University of Tokyo, I asked her if she could wish for anything—like in a fairy tale—what it would be? She hesitated, but after clarifying that she could ask for anything, however outrageous, she revealed her dream of having a family to accompany her (most brilliant) career in science.

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Career choice and unemployment length: A study of graduates from a South African university

an article by Precious Mncayi and Steven Henry Dunga (North-West University, South Africa) published in Industry and Higher Education Volume 30 Number 6 (December 2016)

Abstract

Graduate unemployment is especially problematic in a country where much emphasis is placed on furthering academic studies for economic and personal rewards. This article investigates the relationship between career choice and unemployment length among graduates from a South African university.

Data were collected by means of a survey questionnaire distributed to graduates in the university’s alumni database. An analysis of variance model was estimated and various descriptive analyses and an ordinary least squares regression were employed.

The study finds that the specific majors held by graduates not only influence employment status but also the time taken to find employment. Although human resources, industrial psychology, labour relations management, public administration, public management and politics remain the most popular majors, many graduates in these areas have to wait a long time before securing a job.

In light of their findings, the authors recommend that university courses should be as practically oriented as possible in order to help graduates in the job market and consequently to make the transition from education to work an easier one.

For their part, graduates need to ensure that they make wise and informed career choices. The government needs to put into effect direct interventions that will enhance and augment teaching and learning throughout the educational system, bearing in mind that the choice to study a certain discipline may be affected by many factors, some of which are beyond the control of the student, such as the quality of school education or socio-economic background. 

Full text (PDF)

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Does technology destroy jobs?

a post by Graham Attwell in the CareersTalk blog

The argument over whether technology creates or destroys jobs has been going on for as long as I can remember. Only yesterday [was 17 May 2015] John Naughton, in an article entitled “We are ignoring the new machine age at our peril”, worried about the impact of self driving cars and other technology on the future of employment. Naughton argued that there are “radical discontinuities that nobody could have anticipated”, driven by “combinatorial” effects of different technology trends coming together.

These, he said, include: “the near-infinite computing power provided by Moore’s law; precise digital mapping; GPS; developments in laser and infrared sensor technology; and machine-learning algorithms plus the availability of massive data-sets on which to train them.”

Continue reading

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Striking the Right Note: The Cultural Preparedness Approach to Developing Resonant Career Guidance Programmes

an article by G. Arulmani published in International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance Volume 11 Number 2 (July 2011)

Abstract

Cultural preparedness is presented as a conceptual framework that could guide the development of culture-resonant interventions. The "Jiva" careers programme is presented as a case study to illustrate a method of career and livelihood planning based upon Indian epistemology and cultural practices. Social cognitive environments and career beliefs are discussed as key factors that characterise a group's orientation to career development. An impact analysis is described. Traditional knowledge is highlighted as an important resource for constructing career guidance programmes to address the needs of clients from different cultural heritages.

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The impact of technological mobility on workers’ careers

an article by Sumati Srinivas in Career Development International Volume 14 Issue 2 (2009)

Abstract

Purpose
The aim of this article is to define a new kind of labour mobility called technological mobility, defined here as the different levels of technological change experienced by workers as they change jobs over the course of their career. Technological mobility is viewed as a form of career mobility, and it is hypothesised that moving to jobs in higher-tech industries might prove beneficial to workers’ careers irrespective of the level of education or other measures of ability. Factors that determine upward or downward technological mobility are also investigated.
Design/methodology/approach
This hypothesis is tested using data from the NLSY79, a nationally representative survey of the United States, between the years 1988 and 2000. Determinants of upward and downward technological mobility are modeled using industry-level data on technological mobility. Technological mobility is also regressed against wages to measure its impact on careers.
Findings
Gender, education and local economic conditions are found to have a significant effect on technological mobility, but the effect varies depending on the way technological intensity is measured. The results also demonstrate that workers who move to high-tech industries are indeed rewarded with higher wages, even after controlling for education levels and other known factors.
Originality/value
Technological mobility as defined here is an original concept. It is shown to be an important component of overall career mobility. The article also provides an analysis of workers who are able to make the transition into higher-tech jobs, which is a valuable addition to the research on technological change.

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Turning to teaching: gender and career choice

an article by Andrea Raggl and Geoff Troman (School of Education, Froebel College, Roehampton University) in British Journal of Sociology of Education Volume 29 Issue 6 (November 2008)

Abstract

As the largest public sector institution in the United Kingdom, education is a key site for studying the context of “choice” and changes in the identities of professional workers in contemporary society. Recruitment and retention problems in education have led to the creation of new routes into teaching to attract career changers from other professions and occupations. In this paper we focus on career changers within the Economic and Social Research Council project “Primary Teacher Identity, Commitment and Career in Performative School Cultures” who have entered teaching from other private sector occupations. The authors analyse these career changes in terms of “turning points” in the participants’ lives in order to assess the extent to which choices are “self-initiated”, “forced” or “structural”. They are interested in the basis on which these choices were made and the impact of gender on career decisions.

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Emotional and Personality-Related Aspects of Career-Decision-Making Difficulties

an article by Noa Saka and Itamar Gati (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) and Kevin R Kelly (Purdue University) in Journal of Career Assessment Volume 16 Number 4

Abstract
This research focuses on developing a theoretical framework for analyzing the emotional and personality-related aspects of career-decision-making difficulties. The proposed model is comprised of three major clusters: pessimistic views, anxiety, and self-concept and identity. In Study 1, the Emotional and Personality Career Difficulties Scale (EPCD) was developed, refined, and used to empirically test the model with an Israeli Internet sample (N = 728). Study 2 (N = 276) provided evidence for the cross-cultural validity of the proposed model, using an American college student sample. The relations between the cognitive and emotional components of career-decision-making difficulties are discussed, and theoretical, research, and counseling implications are explored.