Gender role attitudes and career plans of higher education students in the social field based on a pilot study in Hungary

Fényes, Hajnalka and Mohácsi, Márta (2026) Gender role attitudes and career plans of higher education students in the social field based on a pilot study in Hungary. GRADUS, 13 (1). ISSN 2064-8014

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Abstract

This study examines a pilot survey on gender role attitudes and career plans among social science students at a Hungarian research university. The paper-based questionnaire was filled by students present in a class for each cohort and programme (N=141).The novelty of this study comes from establishing a relationship between students’ career plans and their gender role attitudes. Our main research question asks how students’ gender role attitudes influence their understanding of careers, their current and future priorities, and their views on the compatibility of career and family. In our analysis, we used bivariate methods as well as cluster analysis and principal component analysis. During the principal component analysis, we distinguished between traditional, modern and mixed gender role attitudes. In the case of the latter, women are compelled to work for a better living, while family roles mean self-fulfilment for them. In line with the protean career concept and the Kaleidoscope Career Model, we find that students primarily want to fulfil their own expectations in their careers. Delayed family formation is more pronounced among those accepting modern gender roles than those accepting traditional roles. Another significant difference is that students identifying with traditional gender role attitudes perceive a greater conflict between career and family, while those accepting mixed gender role attitudes consider these mostly compatible. The conclusion of this study corresponds to modern career concepts: organisations should adapt to individuals’ plans and expectations and take into account students’ gender role attitudes as well as their career and family plans.

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