Teen Girls on Business - Simmons College

<strong>Teen</strong> <strong>Girls</strong> on Business: Are They Being Empowered?We chose to divide the sample on race/ethnicity forseveral reasons. First, we recognized that race/ethnicityencapsulates variability based on culture, as wellas socioeconomic status. Recent research on womenexecutives and managers 6,7 indicates the presence ofsignificant variations in their experiences based ontheir race/ethnicity that go beyond socioeconomic differences.It is reasonable to expect that these same differencesimpact girls as they think about their careerchoices. Race/ethnicity was therefore seen as a richervariable than income or other socioeconomic indicatorsin exploring differences among girls. In addition,income, a key socioeconomic indicator, was difficultto measure with a sample of teens, as it is likely thatthey may not know their level of household income.For this reason, we used the median income for theirhome zip code as a proxy for household income.It is important to note, however, that the racial/ethnicidentities of the teens in our sample were highly correlatedwith traditional socioeconomic indicators.Specifically, White/Caucasian girls are more likelythan girls from other groups to be from areas withhigher median incomes, and to have fathers in businessand other professional occupations. They arealso the most likely group to come from two-parentfamilies, whereas African American girls are the mostlikely to come from single-parent households. TheHispanic girls in our sample are more likely to comefrom lower income areas, and to have parents in nonprofessionaloccupations (see Appendix 2 for additionalinformation on the socioeconomic indicatorsfor our sample).In presenting the results and conclusions of this study,we begin by looking at the career aspirations, values,and expectations of teen girls in our sample. Then,their attitudes toward business and business careersare discussed, followed by key sources of influenceused by teens for career advice. Where appropriate,results by subgroup are discussed. In the final sectionof this report, ideas for future strategies and actionsdesigned to strengthen the interest of teen girls inbusiness careers are presented.Study OverviewSample Size:4,292 <strong>Teen</strong>s Grades 7-123,028 <strong>Girls</strong>1,264 Boys29 Public and Private Schools across theUnited States17 Focus Groups with middle and high schoolgirls, teachers, and parentsAll differences in means and percentages reported arestatistically significant at the 95% confidence level.6Bell E, Nkomo S. Our Separate Ways: Black and White Women and The Struggle ForProfessional Identity. Boston, MA: Boston Harvard School Press; 2001.7Women of Color in Corporate Management: Opportunities and Barriers. Catalyst. New York,NY; 1999.7