MHS 5340 Foundations of Career Development Needs and

MHS 5340 Foundations of Career Development Needs and Services for Special Populations James P. Sampson, Jr. Florida State University 1

Special Populations • • • Women Men Dual-Career Couples Gay Men, Lesbians, Bi-Sexual Persons, and Transgendered Persons Multicultural Groups Persons with a Disability Immigrants Persons with a Criminal Record Commonalities and Differences 2

Women • Entered the work force in large numbers in W W II • Stayed in the work force because of: – Independence from economic power – Pride / self-esteem of having a career – Preferred identity separate from husband 3

Women • More women work every year • Income no longer contributes superficially to family income (“pin” money) • Most commonly employed in “traditional” occupations 4

Women • Issues – Stereotyping (always bad) – Discrimination – Reverse discrimination – Limited childcare – Welfare-to-work transition (work first programs) 5

Women • Issues: – Glass ceiling – Window dressing – Work-family conflict – Pay differential – Limited mentoring – Sexual harassment 6

Men • Men – Stereotyping – Discrimination – Work = identity & self-esteem – Balancing work & family – Work addiction / workaholism – Retirement issues 7

Dual-Career Couples • Dual-career couples: – professional/ managerial – Continuous employment – Higher work salience • Dual-worker couples: – non-professional/ non-managerial – non-continuous employment – Lower work salience 8

Dual-Career Couples • Problems balancing work and family • Competition • Advancement positions (turn taking) 9

GLBT • Issues (out) – Stereotyping – Discrimination – Mentoring – Benefits 10

GLBT • Issues (in) – stereotypes (also out) – discrimination (also out) – pressure to hide true identity – Attend to terminology and appropriate pronouns – Heterosexualism - assuming someone is straight 11

Multicultural Groups – Stereotyping – Discrimination – Reverse discrimination – Limited mentoring – Welfare-to-work transition (work first programs) – Window-dressing 12

Multicultural Groups • Stereotypes are influenced by poverty (less money = fewer educational opportunities) 13

Persons with a Disability • Disability issues – Language is powerful – A disability is a diagnosable condition – “Persons with disability” vs. “disabled persons” – “handicapped” - potential negative effect of disability • Context-specific 14

Persons with a Disability • Disability issues – Stereotyping – Discrimination – Reverse discrimination – Window dressing – Spread effect - making generalized assumption of multiple impairments based on one disability 15

Persons with a Disability • Americans with Disabilities Act: – Must make reasonable accommodation without putting business into economic hardship – Must be able to diagnose condition – What does the person with the disability need to perform the duties of the job? – Job accommodation 16

Immigrants • Career issues related to group membership • Relocation issues • Cultural issues 17

Persons with a Criminal Record • Career issues related to group membership • Transition issues • Discrimination 18

Commonalities and Differences • Within-group differences are larger than between-group differences 19

Commonalities and Differences • Different populations have different needs, but career development theory applies to all groups • Be aware of issues, but don’t make assumptions (reinforces stereotypes) • If you want to find out, ASK! – Contributes to the collaborative relationship and strategic alliance with the client 20

Adverse Impact • Individuals experiencing discrimination may be denied accurate feedback on their abilities which complicates the development of self knowledge – They are uncertain if their failure (or success) was based on their group membership or their actual ability to perform in class or on the job. 21

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