A Comparison of Occupational Aspirations of Urban Black College Students

Within the literature that focuses on blacks' achievements and aspirations, there are strong references to female superiority.1 One writer stated that black women have been portrayed as inappropriately displacing black men in professional and leadership roles.2 Despite these bold assertions, empirical evidence does not confirm the existence of the pattern at all levels. This is particularly true in terms of the occupational aspirations of black college students. Prior to addressing the issue of college students' aspirations, it is important to examine patterns of behavior at earlier points of development. Turning first to elementary school students, the research focuses on achievement rather than aspirations. The findings are presented here because they shed some light on sex differences at this stage. Evidence indicates that females surpass males. Two studies identified female students as the higher scorers on scholastic measures.3 Another researcher reported that girls were more likely than boys to distinguish themselves academically.4 Several studies revealed