As the number of women surpasses men in the workforce, a recent Junior Achievement(JA)-ING poll found striking differences in the opinions of teenage boys and girls when it comes to what motivates them to excel on the job and that tools they consider important in determining career success.
Motivation to succeed stems from very different places for boys and girls. The JA-ING poll found that fewer girls than boys said they needed perks such as a promotion and raise (girls 38%, boys 56%), to excel on the job. When asked if they needed additional motivation to succeed, 40% of girls responded that they did not, while only 22% of boys said they needed no extra motivation.
As women start to outnumber men in the workforce, taking a look at what careers boys and girls aspire to can provide insight on whether this new workplace balance is here to stay. Girls are choosing careers that are and will continue to be in high demand — 20% of girls want to be doctors versus only 9% of boys. The poll finds that girls are selecting those jobs which tend to be more in demand, which should further tilt the employment scales in their favor. For a full survey abstract, visit: http://ja.org/files/polls/kids_careers_2010-JA-ING-Teens-and-Career-Poll.pdf.