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choice of as service or semi-skilled job. The full assessment of these effects, however, is whether they remain within
the full model. As shown in model 2, the effect of parental education on daughters’ selection of a service or semi-
skilled job is no longer significant. However, the negative associations shown by parents’ desire that their child
attend college and the mothers’ professional job status remain significant within this full model. Clearly, though, the
obtainment of a 4-year college degree is the strongest predictor of whether a daughter will select a service or semi-
skilled job (b = -1.15).
In regard to the selection of a professional occupation by females, the impact of parental/family
characteristics is clearly more dramatic. Higher levels of parental education are associated with a greater likelihood
that daughters will select a professional job (b = .21), and higher levels of parent-child interaction are also positively
associated with this choice of occupation. Parental desires that their child attend college and higher levels of
household income are likewise positively associated with the probability that daughters will select a professional job.
Interestingly, though, having more siblings is negatively associated with daughters’ likelihood of selecting a
profession (b = -.06). While the strength of this effect is rather meager, relative to the other family characteristics, it
does point to the obvious fact that the success of individual children will be affected by family size (i.e., family
income and family size need to be considered conjointly). In model 2, though, much of the significance of
parental/family characteristics disappears, as only parents’ desire for their child to attend college remains significant
(b = .23). The attainment of a 4-year college degree, not surprisingly, is again significantly related to the likelihood
that females will have obtained a professional job (b = 1.69). As well, daughters with higher life expectations are
also more likely to have become professionals. It is also interesting to note that females who have ever married are
also more likely to have selected a professional job. While this may, at first, seem contradictory, this positive
association may also suggest differences in the relative mate selection pools and processes of women who select
professional jobs versus those who select service or semi-skilled jobs. Such distinctions are beyond the scope of this
study and these data, but certainly warrant future consideration.
Overall, it would appear that women’s selection of an occupational path is significantly affected by
parental/family characteristics, especially when these characteristics are considered by themselves within the models.
There is no denying the fact, though, that women’s individual characteristics, and specifically their educational
Convention