An Analysis of Gender Differences in the Factor Structure of the Career Decision Scale

Abstract

The factor structure of the Career Decision Scale, but not total scores, showed gender differences in a sample of undergraduate college students. The factor structure of the CDS tended to be more stable for females than males over a six-week interval. The only item on the CDS that describes an interpersonal reason for being undecided was omitted from the factor structure for females, but not males. Reliance on total scores remains the most useful option because of the instability of the factor structure over time and across samples. In the search for variables which contribute to our understanding of career indecision, those which differentiate between the indecision experienced by males and females are still undetermined and are a useful area for further research.