A correlation analysis of parental expectations, mentoring, and gender socialization on women\u27s self-efficacy

Abstract

This study investigated social influences believed to have an impact on the development of women\u27s self-efficacy. The independent variables examined included parental expectations, gender role socialization, and mentoring. A questionnaire with both ordinal and nominal questions was administered to 196 female undergraduates attending California State University, San Bernardino and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. The sample was predominantly Caucasian (35,2 percent) and Hispanic (33.7 percent), with a median age of 20. Participants answered 57 questions, consisting of demographic questions, measures of self-efficacy and three independent variables. Pearson r analysis found positive significant correlations between self-efficacy and all three variables. The implications for social work and recommendations for social work policy, practice, and research are discussed