Gender and orientations toward the future: Links to motivation

Literature on future orientation and motivation was examined for gender differences. Research revealed gender differences from five theoretical ori-entations: achievement motivation, future time orientation, possible selves, expectancy-value, and social-cognitive. Some of those differences seemed best explained in terms of generational differences in gender role expectations. Gender differences were found in extension and density of future goals. Men had further extension but fewer goals than women. Evidence suggested that women’s future expectations have become more similar to men’s in the career realm, although women also have maintained their focus on interpersonal goals. An implication is that schools are a potentially powerful sociocultural context that can encourage students to envision futures that are not constrained by gender, race/ethnicity, or other stereotypes. KEY WORDS: achievement motivation; gender; future time orientation; motivation and sociocultural contexts. Although much of the theory and research on motivation is concerned with short-term striving (Raynor, 1970) and proximal goals (Manderlink and Harackiewicz, 1984), there is a rich history of motivation research that examines the role of people’s orientation toward the future (e.g., Gjesme, 1981a; Husman and Lens, 1999; Lens et al., 2001; Raynor, 1970). This re-search has provided evidence that future-oriented motivation is related to performance in the present (e.g., Gjesme, 1981a; Raynor, 1970), task engagement and persistence (Lens et al., 2001), and intrinsic motivation (Manderlink and Harackiewicz, 1984). In other words, evidence suggest