Career goal ambitions profoundly shape an individual’s life. Influencing self-esteem, and strategic career-related planning and decision-making, they are crucial determinants for the course of one...Show moreCareer goal ambitions profoundly shape an individual’s life. Influencing self-esteem, and strategic career-related planning and decision-making, they are crucial determinants for the course of one’s career development. However, inequality of opportunity and inequality of outcomes can influence career goal ambitions. This study explores whether contemplating inequality affects career goals, particularly investigating gender differences. Data from 300 U.S. American post-secondary students (61.3% female) was analysed using the Career Aspiration Scale Revised (CAS-R). The results of the first analysis testing if being prompted for inequality decreases career goal ambitions compared to a control group were insignificant. For the moderation hypothesis examining the effect of gender on career goal ambitions after being prompted for inequality, the interaction model was significant. However, only the main effect of gender was significant, with females scoring higher than males. These findings suggest that while contemplating inequality does not alter career goals, females consistently display higher aspirations than males. Limitations include potential prompt misunderstanding and sample characteristics. Future research should target economically disadvantaged populations, populations with higher and lower average age and samples from countries with higher gender inequality.Show less
