The Relational Career Values of Post-secondary Women Students
Keywords:
women, students, post-secondary, career valuesAbstract
This qualitative research explores the underlying relational meaning of the career values of women students in traditional and nontraditional university faculties. Values such as achievement, concern for others, responsibility, financial prosperity, belonging, concern for the environment, and spirituality were important for both groups of women to have satisfied in the career for which they were studying/training. Relational themes were found for both groups. Some relational themes were obvious such as helping others but other values, such as achievement also held relational meaning. Interesting are some of the relational connotations that emerged adding new dimensions to commonly accepted “work” values. Some expected differences between women in traditional and nontraditional faculties were found but also many similarities in the expectation that relational values will be satisfied in their future careers.
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