Investigating the Career Development of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual People: Methodological Considerations and Recommendations

Researchers and clinicians agree that there is a paucity of research on the career development of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. The purpose of this article is to review the methodological issues that have constrained our understanding of the career development of sexual minorities, and to offer recommendations regarding both the content and methodologies of future research. Investigators are encouraged to broaden the span of content under study; to generate theory-based research; to integrate sexual identity development questions with career development concerns; to increase the representativeness of the populations of gay men, lesbian women, and bisexual men and women under study; and to use both quantitative and qualitative methods in generating and testing models of career development for these populations. We also recommend that future research designs provide opportunities to investigate both within-group and between-group differences in career-related cognitions and experiences