Sex Differences in a Causal Model of Career Maturity

Existing theories of career development are based primarily on observations of White, middle‐class men. This has prompted many writers to question the validity of these theories and to consider the development of a separate theory of career development for women. But before a separate theory can be justified, it must be established that sex differences in the career development process do exist. The purpose of this study was twofold: first, to determine if sex differences exist in the way six independent variables interact in a causal model of career maturity, and, second, to compare the relative strengths of each variable's effect on career maturity for boys and for girls. The results suggest that, although the basic causal patterns are similar for adolescent boys and girls, significant sex differences exist as well. The observed differences are consistent with Gilligan's hypothesized “relational component of identity.”