Anticipated life paths : a study of male and female college students

College men and women are afforded more freedom than ever before to make decisions about their future lives. However, even when men and women start with similar characteristics, in many cases they are still making different life choices. The problem is to identify values, priorities, or circumstances that may influence or limit the life choices of men and women. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare how male and female college students constructed their life paths. Through semi-structured interviews, this study examined the goals and priorities of 32 college juniors and seniors by examining the choices they made during their college years. Further, it examined their visions of their future lives. At first glance, the findings in this study showed the men and women to be similar. Both the men and the women described an idealized future vision of the future. The majority of students described their vision as a problem-free, middle-class American life, which included a nuclear family, a career, financial security, and, for a third of the students, a location near their family of origin. Three major differences emerged between the men and the women. First, the role in the future vision was different for men and women. The majority of women placed caring for their future family at the center of their future lives, while the men were more likely to place career as their top priority or not prioritize their life components. Second, the men and women had different influences in selecting their majors. The majority of women selected their original majors based on the advice and encouragement of family members, teachers, and friends. The majority of men reported selecting their majors based on past experiences or interests. Third, many women expressed fear that some component of their future vision would not work out as planned, while the men conveyed confidence that their future vision would become reality. Ultimately, 10 of 16 women changed their major and 12 of 16 women changed their career path. Conversely, 6 of 16 men changed their major and 4 of 16 men changed their career path.