Why the question “what I want to do when I grow up” matters!

January 31, 2021

• Advice for Parents
• / University and Higher Education

While not placing too much value on the career aspirations of young children and what they want to do when they grow up may seem reasonable, the study ‘Drawing the Future’ argued they can have long term effects on future careers. Although what children might want to pursue could be unlikely to provide any indication of what they may actually do later in life, research has shown that they do provide perceptive insights to children’s views and ideas about adult work.

Over the last 30 years, research has focused upon how gender interacts with early perceptions of jobs and careers, reiterating concerns about children being channelled into gendered pathways via educational and occupational preferences. By the age of eight children have already developed a gendered perspective, which can already turn them towards some career paths and away from others. Despite the fact that women are employed in a wider range of jobs than ever before, studies show that children still think of careers as ‘male’ or ‘female’, which means that they can rule out career options that they could otherwise successfully pursue. Have you ever asked your children what they would like to do when they grow up?

Some parents may be familiar with KidZania, where children run a miniature city, choosing jobs and activities that interest them and earn money to buy real items at the end of their visit. Research conducted at KidZania’s London site showed an unsurprising gender split, and more interestingly, the choices made by fourteen year olds were strikingly similar to those made by four year olds. Given that at fourteen children begin to choose the subjects that dictate the steps their lives will take, it is an interesting reflection on gendered perceptions that remain constant throughout childhood. Girls selected roles such as beautician or model, while boys overwhelmingly preferred engineering or sports coaching.

Regardless of gender, the top five jobs drawn by the children were sportsman or woman, teacher, vet, social media/gaming personality and police, while the least popular were respectively celebrity, financial advisor, window cleaner, sailor and locksmith. However, over five times the number of boys wished to have a career in the armed forces or firefighting, a trend also reflected in manufacturing sectors, where 20 times more boys wished to be involved in manufacturing and construction. Similarly, over 20 times the amount of girls wished to pursue a career in fashion than boys.

With regards to STEM, over four times the amount of boys wished to become engineers in comparison to girls, and less than half the number of girls wished to become scientists in comparison to the boys in the same sample. However, what is striking is that two and a half times the amount of girls wished to become doctors in comparison to the boys surveyed, and nearly four times the amount of girls wished to become vets. Here is a previous Kings Tutors’ blog about degrees that link to certain jobs. 

This shows a marked increase in the inclination for a ‘caring’ role or career in comparison to boys which was applicable to all job sectors including STEM, whereas innovation or leadership roles were more preferred by boys. What do your children want to do when they grow up? 

Words by Elizabeth Reynard.