Career aspirations of Wisconsin women working in student affairs: The effect of demographic and institutional factors

Abstract

The purpose of this census-style quantitative research was to investigate what relationship existed between demographic and institutional factors and women's career advancement aspirations in student affairs in the state of Wisconsin. A Qualtrics survey that included Gregor and O'Brien's (2015) Career Aspirations Scale-Revised and Drasgow's (2001) socio-normative factor of the Motivation to Lead scale was sent to 3,231 potentially qualified participants. Survey results from 641 respondents show women have varying career aspirations, with educational level, age, race, and institutional size having a signification association with aspiration factors. Results also showed that women still feel the workplace is a political, gendered, and sexist environment that favors the advancement of men. Finally, women indicated they take a holistic approach to career advancement by considering the impact it would have on other people in their life, on their mental and physical health, on their compensation comparative to stress levels, and on their desire to do student-facing work.