Date of Award

Fall 2013

Degree Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

With the dual-earner population increasingly becoming the norm, undergraduate students are forced to consider the ways in which their career choice may affect their future family life, as well as how their family life may affect their career. Research has shown that undergraduate students may alter their vocational aspirations or adjust their future family plans to avoid work-family role conflict thus implying that students are making career decisions based on their prioritization of anticipated future life roles. The present study sought to investigate how the salience of different life roles may factor into the level of career decision-making difficulty (CDMD) experienced by undergraduate students. A sample of undergraduate students (N=300) participated in an online survey reporting information about their anticipated life role salience and current career decision-making difficulty. Multicultural variables such as race, religiousness/ spirituality, and gender were also assessed. Using a measurement model the following results were determined: I) Participants with high parental role salience reported less career decision-making difficulty than participants with low parental role salience; 2) Participants with high marital role salience reported more career decision-making difficulty than participants with low marital role salience; 3) White participants reported higher family role salience than Non-White participants; 4) Participants who identified themselves as religious and/or spiritual reported higher family role salience than participants who did not consider themselves to be religious/ spiritual; 5) Women reported higher family role salience than men. Implications of these findings as well as suggestions for interventions are discussed.

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