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The Role of Parenthood and College Education in the Self-Concept of College Students: Explicit and Implicit Assessments of Gendered Aspirations

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Abstract

This research examined the extent to which parenthood and college education are incorporated into the self-concept of college students. A US sample of undergraduates (90 men, 87 women) attending a large and ethnically diverse university completed explicit and implicit measures of identification with “parenthood” and “college education,” associations between these concepts and gender categories, and gender identification. Explicitly, men and women identified strongly with college education. Implicitly, women identified equally with parenthood and college education, whereas men identified more strongly with college education. In addition, implicit measures revealed that traditional gender roles accounted for a stronger identification with parenthood for participants who displayed a female identity and a stronger identification with college education for participants who displayed a male identity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182-4611, USA

    Thierry Devos, Karla Blanco, Francisca Rico & Roger Dunn

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  1. Thierry Devos
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  2. Karla Blanco
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  3. Francisca Rico
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  4. Roger Dunn
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Correspondence to Thierry Devos.

Additional information

This research was supported in part by the McNair Scholars Program (U.S. Department of Education, TRIO Programs - No P217A030016) and the Minority Biomedical Research Support Program (NIH/NIGMS MBRS Grant 1R25GM8906-07) at San Diego State University.

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Devos, T., Blanco, K., Rico, F. et al. The Role of Parenthood and College Education in the Self-Concept of College Students: Explicit and Implicit Assessments of Gendered Aspirations. Sex Roles 59, 214–228 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9430-6

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