Teen Girls on Business - Simmons College

<strong>Teen</strong> <strong>Girls</strong> on Business: Are They Being Empowered?qualitative research did we define business for teens. In eachcase, questions were designed to probe teens’ own definitionsof business. We asked teens to tell us the first word thatcame to their minds when they heard the word business.Over one-third of all teen girls and boys gave a word associatedwith money, currency, or finance. Interestingly, whenasked to list the first three jobs that come to mind when theythink about careers in business, they mentioned a widerange. While the most frequently listed jobs (such asaccounting/finance, management, sales/marketing) wereexpected, the diversity of types of careers mentioned wasquite surprising. It is interesting to note that lawyer/judgewas listed third by both girls and boys, and 9% of teens alsolisted doctor/surgeon. Again, this shows that many teens seethe word business as an all-encompassing term for professionalpeople.Our focus groups with girls suggested that teens see businessin very stereotypical terms. Almost all girls chose to representbusiness and business people with images of technology(computers, cell phones, PDAs), office buildings (big cities,cubicles), clothing (dark business suits, briefcases), and businesstravel (planes, trains, and expensive cars). Again, thisreinforces the notion that teens see business in very superficialterms, often based on the images they see daily in themedia, or through observing the working lives of their parentsand friends.<strong>Teen</strong>s in our study were asked to rate the importance of differentskills for being successful in business. They were thenasked to list which of these skills was the most important. 17Financial skills are high on teens' lists. Both boys and girlsalso frequently list decision making and problem solving intheir top three, suggesting they understand the basic“work”of business. It is interesting to note however, thatwhile “being a leader” is cited often, especially for boys,other skills such as “being creative,” “being a good listener,”and “getting people to agree with you” were less frequentlylisted as most important. This suggests that the intangibleskills often associated with management and business leadershipare not understood by teens. Earlier research suggested“most [young people] know more about the lifestylesassociated with careers than about the work entailed.” 18 Asdiscussed later in more detail, business, possibly more thanAttitudes Towards Business in America% Strongly or Somewhat Agree<strong>Girls</strong>8070 72%6063%5050%40302010068%Provide jobs for peopleMake things people want or needRespected by othersBoys61%% Listing Job Type, Unprompted<strong>Girls</strong> BoysAccounting/Finance 37% 29%Business/Management 35% 33%Lawyer/Judge 24% 19%Sales 19% 16%CEO/CFO/VP, etc. 16% 17%Marketing 13% 12%Entrepreneur/Owner 13% 13%Computers/Software 8% 12%49%First 3 Jobs That Come to Mind When ThinkingAbout Business CareersMost Important Skills for Success in aBusiness Career% Selecting as One of Top 3<strong>Girls</strong>5040302010039% 37%35% 35%31%Making decisionsManaging moneyWorking with others33%45%Boys25%Solving problemsBeing a leader43%39%17See Appendix 3 for more details.18Nicholson HJ. Facts and Reflections on Careers for Today’s <strong>Girls</strong>. <strong>Girls</strong> Clubs ofAmerica. Indianapolis, IN; 1985.17