Table 1

Vocational Expectations of Twelfth Graders by Gender

Years	1976–88	1989–99	2000–2009
Kind of Work Respondent Thinks Will Be Doing at Age 30	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls
Percentage in the labor force^{^a}	99.9	93.2	99.7	97.7	99.6	98.3
Laborer, service worker, sales clerk	2.1	7.5	1.6	4.1	2.4	4.2
Skilled or semiskilled worker, Protective services (including military), farm owner	37.6	4.4	30.5	4.8	27.4	5.0
Clerical or office worker	1.7	21.0	1.2	9.0	0.9	2.7
Owner of small business, sales representative, manager or administrator	17.3	14.4	17.9	13.5	16.9	12.8
Professional without doctoral degree^{^b}	27.9	37.4	32.1	42.2	36.1	48.3
Professional with doctoral degree (or equivalent)^{^c}	13.5	15.3	16.7	26.4	16.4	27.1
Total in the labor force	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number of observations	18,369	19,343	11,667	12,560	9,242	10,396

Notes: Module 4 respondents were asked “What kind of work do you think that you will be doing when you are 30 years old? Mark the one that comes closest to what you expect to be doing.” Sixteen choices were possible including “Full-time homemaker” and “Don’t know” (6.7 percent of respondents). We regroup the 14 other choices into six categories for conciseness. More examples of specific jobs were given than reported.
↵^aComputed as 100 minus the percentage of respondents choosing “Full-time homemaker or housewife.
↵^bRegistered Nurse, Librarian, Engineer, Architect, Social Worker, Technician, Accountant, Actor, Artist, Musician given as examples.
↵^cLawyer, Physician, Dentist, Scientist, College Professor given as examples.