Jobs that suit women: A mixed-methods study of Chinese college women's perceived benevolent sexism, career aspirations, and career-exploration behaviors.

Qing Wang, Qinyue Zhu, Jingxin Li, Rongrong Yang

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Article in BMC psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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4 authors.

Qing WangShanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, No.3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai, 200062, China. qwang@psy.ecnu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9369-945X

Qinyue ZhuShanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, No.3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai, 200062, China.

Jingxin LiShanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, No.3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai, 200062, China.

Rongrong YangShanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, No.3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai, 200062, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBenevolent sexism (BS) may implicitly influence women’s career trajectories. This study examined the relationship between Chinese college women’s BS attitudes and experiences, their career aspirations and exploration behaviors, and the underlying mechanisms during early career development.

methodsAn explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. Phase 1 (N = 427) quantitatively assessed the relationships among BS, career aspirations, and exploration behaviors. Phase 2 (N = 26) utilized Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore the culturally specific understanding of BS and its perceived career impact.

resultsQuantitative findings indicated that BS experience positively predicted both career aspirations and exploration behaviors, mediated by career decision-making self-efficacy. Qualitative analysis revealed that alignment with traditional gender norms (e.g., choosing “female” jobs) paradoxically yielded positive outcomes, including increased family support and enhanced career self-efficacy, despite BS awareness.

conclusionsThe findings suggest that Chinese college women internalize benevolent sexism in their career development. The impact of this internalization varies significantly based on its alignment with cultural norms and its integration into their emerging career identity.

Indexed as

Aspirations, PsychologicalCareer ChoiceSexismStudentsAdultChinaFemaleHumansSelf EfficacyUniversitiesYoung AdultBenevolent sexismCareer developmentCultural contextFemale studentsMixed methods

Identifiers

PMID41402889

DOI10.1186/s40359-025-03844-0

PMCPMC12811906

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.