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Berenbaum SheriA, Resnick Susan. The Seeds of Career Choices: Prenatal Sex Hormone Effects on Psychological Sex Differences. 2007;147-157doi: 10.1037/11546-012.
Berenbaum, S. h. e. r. i. A., & Resnick, S. u. s. a. n. (2007). The Seeds of Career Choices: Prenatal Sex Hormone Effects on Psychological Sex Differences. 147-157. https://doi.org/10.1037/11546-012
Berenbaum, Sheri A, and Resnick, Susan. "The Seeds of Career Choices: Prenatal Sex Hormone Effects on Psychological Sex Differences." vol. (2007): 147-157. doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/11546-012
Berenbaum SheriA, Resnick Susan. The Seeds of Career Choices: Prenatal Sex Hormone Effects on Psychological Sex Differences. 2007;147-157. doi: 10.1037/11546-012. UIID-AD: 1473.
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2007;147-157. doi: 10.1037/11546-012.

The Seeds of Career Choices: Prenatal Sex Hormone Effects on Psychological Sex Differences.

Sheri A Berenbaum, Susan Resnick

UIID-AD: 1473 DOI: 10.1037/11546-012

Abstract

There is not a simple answer to the question "Why aren't more women in science?" Much of the debate surrounding this question has focused on whether sex differences in cognition are responsible for the underrepresentation of women in science. This focus is unsatisfying because no psychological characteristic is determined by a single factor, and because it ignores sex differences in other careers. Therefore, in this chapter we focus on the question "How are sex differences in cognition and other characteristics related to the differential representation of women and men in scientific and social service careers?" We focus on individual characteristics contributing to career choices and outcomes, recognizing that individuals operate in a social environment and that individual behavior is affected by social context. Thus, sex differences in career choices and outcomes are not completely attributable to individuals but also reflect contributions from social institutions, including sex discrimination and issues related to juggling work and family, such as access to child care. Within the realm of individual characteristics, we focus on how biological factors may affect individual differences in career choices, directly (e.g., through interests or abilities) and indirectly (e.g., through modification of the social environment). Social factors (e.g., parent attitudes and media portrayals) may affect individual characteristics related to career choice, but individuals are not passive recipients of the social environment. We propose that sex-related career choices and outcomes arise through the mediating and moderating effects of socialization on sex-hormone-influenced individual differences in behavioral development. For example, prenatal sex hormone exposure may influence specific cognitive abilities and interests later in life, but social factors moderate the expression of these individual differences in abilities and interests. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved). (chapter)

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