Eighty women from the fields of medicine and law, in careers ranging from very atypical to very traditional for women, were compared on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (Vocabulary and Block Design subtests), Bem Sex-Role Inventory, Atkinson's measure of achievement motivation, and a childhood experiences questionnaire developed in conjunction with the study. Subjects in atypical, relative to those in typical careers were found to score higher on cognitive measures, psychological masculinity, and, in law, achievement motivation. Childhood experiences of women in atypical careers included: more traditionally masculine play patterns, greater unhappiness during adolescence, and less coercion by parents to fit a traditionally feminine stereotype.
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