Influence of Gender and Sexual Orientation

Directions:

Find an individual with a gender different than your own in a career that interests you. In a brief interview find the answers to the questions listed below. Include proper in-text citations as well as a reference note below as appropriate. Please note that for personal communications, you will only need to include an in-text citation and not a reference note.

Note: American Psychological Association (APA) ethical guidelines indicate that interviewees have the right to refuse to answer any question posed to them by an interviewer. Please ensure that your interviewees are aware of this, and do not force them to answer where the opportunity to reply has been refused.

1. What got you interested in your current career?

2. How did your gender influence your career choice?

3. Did you have any same gender models or mentors that encouraged your career development? If not, was this problematic?

4. Did you observe any barriers in your education, employment, or advancement based on your gender?

5. Which gender appears to have an easier time getting into and establishing a career in this area?

6. Which gender most often holds the positions of power/influence/authority within this field? How does this compare to the male/female ratio?

7. Have there been any changes that have impacted the employment of males/females within the career?

8. How does sexual orientation impact a career in this field?

9. Have you observed any overt or covert discrimination based on gender/sexual orientation? Is it a common or rare occurrence?

10. With regard to gender/sexual orientation, what is the one thing you would like to change within the field?

References

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