Young Men’s Choice of Fashion as a Career Path: “Seekers” and “Settlers”

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Elena Karpova, Putman & Hayes Distinguished Professor (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: This study explored men’s choice of fashion as a college major and, subsequently, anon-traditional career path. Such investigation is important to gain a betterunderstanding of the motives and processes of selecting a non-traditional college majorand subsequent career path. This research consulted several theoretical frameworks toguide the development of research questions and help interpret the findings of the study.Specifically, our study builds upon Holland’s trait theory (1982), Gottfredson’s (1981)circumscription theory, Farmer’s (1985) model of career motivation, and Simpson’s(2005) typology of men’s non-traditional career entry. A qualitative method was used toexplore men’s experiences of selecting fashion as an academic major in college anddeciding to pursue a career in the traditionally female-dominated field. Following theanalysis of 22 individual interviews with male upperclassmen majoring in fashion, threetopical areas emerged and we proposed a model of male students’ path to a nontraditional college major. The model explains male students’ dynamics of entering anon-traditional college major, the role of personal and social factors in the decisionprocess as well as the role of future career orientation when choosing to study fashion asan academic major.

Additional Information

Publication
Fashion, Industry and Education, 16(2), 11-26
Language: English
Date: 2018
Keywords
career choice, career orientation, non-traditional college major

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