Graduating from high school: The role of gender-related attitudes, self-concept and goal clarity in a major transition in late adolescence

Abstract

An 11-month longitudinal study (T1: N = 520, M _age = 19 years) investigated the role of gender-related self-concept and goal clarity during the transition period surrounding graduation from upper secondary school in Switzerland. The first assessment took place a few months before graduation and assessed participants' gender-related self-concept (instrumentality, expressivity), gender-role attitudes, goal clarity, and job-related aspirations. Despite the high level of education, gender-related differences in attitudes and self-concept showed that boys endorsed more traditional gender-role attitudes than girls. Relationships between gender-related self-concept and attitudes showed different patterns for girls and boys. Regarding adaptation to the transition, gender-related self-concept predicted change in career-related goal clarity, which, in turn, predicted an increase in life satisfaction over time. Our results highlight the important role of instrumentality, expressivity, and career-related goal clarity during the transition of graduating from high school.

Keywords:

• Developmental transition
• Gender differences
• Gender-related self-concept
• Goal clarity

Acknowledgements

We would particularly like to thank Martin Dobricki and Anna Gunsch for their assistance in data collection as well as Tamara Herz for carefully editing the manuscript.

Notes

We would particularly like to thank Martin Dobricki and Anna Gunsch for their assistance in data collection as well as Tamara Herz for carefully editing the manuscript.