Young women choosing careers over love
By Jocelyn Voo
Olga Boyko, 23, has finished her studies at Antioch College
and will be graduating in the spring. But she isn't putting
her career on hold while she waits for her boyfriend of more
than two years to graduate.
"Though I'm not planning on breaking up with my boyfriend,
I am leaving him behind in Ohio," says Boyko, who's aiming
for work in the publishing industry. "It's hard to get
your foot in the door of the field I want to work in. And
let's face it: Nowadays you have to cover your butt if you
want to make it anywhere."
Romance versus career
When it comes to work versus romance, the stereotype has been
that men put a premium on career goals while women focus more
on family and friends. Not so, according to a study published
recently in the scientific journal "Gender Issues."
Men were more willing than women to sacrifice achievement
for a romantic relationship, according to the study conducted
by Catherine Mosher of Duke University Medical Center and
Sharon Danoff-Burg at the University of Albany.
Researchers asked 237 undergraduates to rate the importance
of goals such as financial success, career, education and
contribution to society, as well as goals such as romantic
relationships, marriage, children and friendship.
While 51 percent of the women prioritized romantic relationships
over achievement goals, more than 61 percent of men did the
same.
Adam Turner might count himself in that camp. When his girlfriend
visited him at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale,
he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible to fortify
their budding relationship -- even if that meant missing three
classes, one with a quiz and a test review.
"I was not doing very well in the class to begin with,
and the grade I made on that test did not help me at all,"
says the 20-year-old junior, who is studying aviation flight
and management. "It was a stupid move on my behalf, of
course, but honestly, well worth it."
Changing dynamics
Psychologist Ellen Klosson, in private practice in Washington,
D.C., says this study may be more about the evolving relationship
between women and the workplace than their preference for
work over romance. It also points to the effect of family
on career.
"For men, romance, then marriage, then children may
be unlikely to lead to the interruption of their career,"
Klosson says. "For women, having children is likely to
be more disruptive to their career."
Career-oriented women have been putting marriage and children
on hold for decades, she notes.
"Women have been aware of the time pressure to establish
themselves in a career before starting a family, because of
the difficulty of starting this task in their thirties and
forties," she says. "I think what we are seeing
in this study is the solidification of this trend"
Changes in family economics likely play a role, too. Now
that most families have dual incomes, Klosson says, "men
may feel more freed up to prioritize as they did in this study.
There is less pressure, because of a shift in their role definition,
to put their careers first."
Boyko, for one, is fine with the shift in roles.
"Honestly, if he said, 'Stay and wait for me to finish,
or it's over,' I'd start packing early."
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