The Role of Gender and Age in Vocational Calling Among

University ProfessorsCindy Miller-Perrin and Don Thompson

Pepperdine University

8th Annual Mid-Year Conference on Religion and SpiritualityMarch 27, 2010

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Why is Vocational Calling Important to Higher Education?

• College students are increasingly interested in matters of faith, religion, and spirituality

• The college years are a critical time for the development of identity and one’s sense of life purpose or vocational calling

• Faculty are in a unique position to mentor students with regard to vocational calling

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Research on Faculty and Vocational Calling

• Little research has examined faculty views of their roles as vocational mentors or how they conceptualize and experience vocation in their own lives

• Astin & Astin (1999) found that although faculty wanted to discuss issues of meaning, purpose, and spirituality, they felt little institutional encouragement to do so

• Narloch (2004) found that faculty narrowly defined vocation as one’s occupation

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The Current Study• Examined faculty views of vocation

and the impact of gender and age on faculty vocational calling and student mentoring

• Faculty from a private Christian university, following four years of Lilly Endowment grant sponsored activities, participated

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The Faculty Sample• 164 faculty were invited to complete

a survey• Of those invited, 80 faculty

participated (response rate of 49%)• Participants included 32 females and

48 males• Mean age 47 (ranged from 29-67

years)5

Faculty Survey on Vocational Calling

• Survey of 114 items– Definitions of vocation– Personal experiences of vocational

discernment and action– Barriers and sacrifices to living out

one’s vocation– Role of faculty mentoring in student

vocational development– Faith Maturity Index

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Definition and Scope of Vocational Calling

• Secular View– Work, Career, Occupation

• Christian View– “a holy calling” 2 Timothy 1:9– Any human activity that gives meaning,

purpose, and direction to life: lifework• Public and Private Dimensions

– Work, ministry, community, relationships

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Definition and Scope of Vocational Calling

• “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet” Buechner

– Vocation involves loving and serving others

– Vocation involves using the gifts God has bestowed upon us

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Definition and Scope of Vocational Calling

(Agree or Strongly Agree)

• Vocation Refers To:– Life purpose – 93%– God’s will for one’s life – 89% – Job/Career/Profession – 75%– Personal interests or skills – 72% – Formal ministry – 47%

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Definition and Scope of Vocational Calling

(Agree or Strongly Agree)• Vocation Encompasses:

– Occupation/Career 90% – Parenthood – 81%– Marriage – 77%– Service toward others – 72%– Community – 71%– Church – 69% – Friendship – 64%

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Personal Experiences of Vocational Action and

Discernment (Agree or Strongly Agree)

• I have a strong sense of my own personal vocation 96%

• I am confident that I am living out my vocational calling 93%

• My vocation includes serving those in need 68%

• I do not spend much time contemplating my vocation 8%

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Vocational Barriers• Various barriers or obstacles may

interfere with our ability to discern or act upon our vocational callings

• Barriers serve as challenges that either– create struggles that we must overcome– create an impasse that redirects our

journey

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Vocational Barriers and Sacrifices

• Demographic Factors– Age, ethnicity, SES

• Personal attitudes and Emotions– Fear; need for security, control, power

• Sociocultural Factors– Financial responsibilities, gender stereotypes

• Sacrifices– Salary, time with family and friends, health

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Barriers to Vocational Action(Agree or Strongly Agree)

• Demographic – 4% - 16%

• Personal Attitudes and Emotions – 5%-36%

• Sociocultural Factors – 1%-28%

• Sacrifices – 2%-30%

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Personal Attitudes and Emotions as Barriers

(Agree or Strongly Agree)

• Self-doubt 36%• Fear 23%• Need to feel secure/safe 19%• Selfishness 17%

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Sociocultural Factors as Barriers

(Agree or Strongly Agree)

• Job-related responsibilities 28%• Other family responsibilities 16%• Concerns about supporting

standard of living 15%• Lack of financial resources 15%• Raising children 10%

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Vocational Sacrifices(Agree or Strongly Agree)

• Time with friends 29%• Salary 29%• Time with spouse 23%• Career advancement

23%• Time with children 18%• Physical health 9%

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Faculty Mentoring• 92% of faculty agree or strongly agree

that “part of my role as a faculty member is to assist students in their search for personal meaning and life purpose”

• 78% of faculty agree or strongly agree that they “have had significant mentoring relationships with students that have helped them clarify their life purpose”

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Faculty Mentoring• Faculty agree or strongly agree

that they “have had conversations with students regarding their:– Specific life purpose 82%– Development as a leader 58%– Desire to live a life of service

68%

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Variables Associated with Faculty Vocational Calling

• New Faculty Retreat

• Gender

• Age

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– Workshops focus on readings and discussions of vocation literature

– Community building among faculty as they engage in discussion of readings and share experiences of their vocational journeys

– Faculty become students of vocation, learning new ways to serve as a vocational mentor to both their faculty colleagues and to students

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New Faculty Retreat

New Faculty Retreat Comparisons

• 22 Faculty who attended retreat were matched by age and gender with 22 Faculty who did not. No significant difference in group mean sub-scores for– Faith Maturity– Vocational Discernment– Mentoring– Vocational Barriers and Sacrifices

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Correlations among VariablesDiscern

Mentor

Dem Barriers

PersonalBarriers

SociocultBarriers

Sacrifice

Age

FMI .54*** .52*** .07 -.02 .21 .01 .24*Discern .66*** -.12 -.14 -.04 .05 .16Mentor .08 .05 .07 .05 .41***Dem Barriers

.39** .69*** .47*** .06

Personal Barriers

.44*** .31** .00

SociocultBarriers

.47*** .03

Sacrifice -.23*

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Gender & Age Differences• Faith Maturity• Vocational Discernment• Mentoring• Barriers and Sacrifices

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Gender Differences in Faith Maturity

186188190192194196198200202

FMI*

FemalesMales

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Gender Differences in Vocational Discernment and Mentoring

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Discernment Mentoring

FemalesMales

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Gender Differences on Barriers and Sacrifices

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Demo* Sociocult* Sacrifices*

FemalesMales

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Qualitative Vocational Differences

Based on Gender

•Definition & Discernment•Barriers•Mentoring

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Vocational Definition & Discernment

Women – Holistic & Spiritual• I believe that my vocation is to support, care for, and educate others in

my role as a teacher, mentor, mother, sister, daughter, wife and friend, and to do so with humility

• To worship the Lord and from his abundant love, follows his commands and practice spiritual disciplines of prayer, service, Bible study and evangelism, holiness, spiritual gifts and incarnationally living my faith in my life and work

• Arousing interest in others to create peaceful living in the name of God• Teaching literature as a source of interdisciplinary knowledge and helping

students love literature and reading so they can be life-long learners.• To educate, inspire and challenge others to keep their bodies, minds and

spirit healthy so they can better serve their fellowman for god's glory

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Vocational Definition & Discernment

Men – God’s Will• Christian educator and professor, but the calling comes first,

then the career • To live as a faithful child of God in an intellectual context. • Teacher, father, husband to my wife. This organizes all the other

activities of my life. A) Fulfill God's will for my life as a B) Parents and C) Educator. To develop others for lives of purpose in support of God's will for mankind.

• Educator of the mind, body and spirit. • Helping prepare the next generation of leaders in fields of

communication to carry out their life calling and to serve God and their fellow human beings.

• Be tuned to the Will of God• I am called to be a living model and example of Jesus Christ.

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Vocational BarriersWomen – Time & Gender

• It is much more challenging and difficult for females to pursue a vocation as a professor in higher education than it is for males.

• I chose this profession to have time for my family, but found the job taking my time anyway. The part of my vocation that I can carry out on a personal level is unrestrained.

• My institution’s religious policies and attitudes towards women have prevented me from serving to the best of my ability.

• The time commitments I make in order to live out both my school work and church work lead me to sacrifice time with family and friends and research that would lead me to more respect and promotion. I seem to be unable to whittle these time commitments down.

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Vocational BarriersMen – Rare

• I really don't experience (consciously) barriers to pursuing vocation

• I feel like I'm doing in this moment what I'm supposed to do, and if that changes, God will make that known and open the appropriate doors.

• I have been very blessed not to have faced so many barriers as others

• No major barriers--sometimes delays, distractions or wandering dedication. On level of desire and motivation I am high. However, some of life's constraints interfere with attaining the desired level of accomplishment.

• When you feel you have found your vocation, as god wills it, the sacrifices seem small

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Vocational MentoringWomen – Spiritual & Personal

• Almost daily I encourage students to strengthen their faith and define the direction of their lives.

• I had a young woman in a spring semester class. It was her junior year and she had developed a severe lack of confidence in her abilities. Over the next year and a half I met with her weekly, including during the summer, for either coffee and chatting or for research. She went to graduate school and is finishing her masters degree.

• Students seek me out each semester that I end up mentoring. I pray for God to "match" me with a few students each semester.

• Conversation with students about living as a Christian in their chosen field. • Many women lack self-confidence and I try to help them see their gifts and

abilities and dream bigger - get a PhD or Law School or Medical School• I try to teach to be as Jesus: Strong, honest and loving• My husband and I became so close with one of out student in an international

program - I had helped her with depression and we shared new views on family and marriage - that she asked us to officiate her wedding.

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Vocational MentoringMen – Career Related

• I had a student who was really struggling with her role as an officer in a student group. After class when we had explored some leadership issues, we talked some more and she said that the discussion really helped.

• A student was trying to decide whether or not to pursue graduate school in a field related to, but different from the specific field in which he has trained for four years. In a conversation with this student, he said I was the first faculty member who had really taken the time to sit down and talk with him about these choices.

• I consistently meet with students interested in pursuing legal or political concerns to discuss the impact of faith on legal practice and law as services

• Conferences about major, advantages and disadvantages of career; conference about dealing with parental expectations.

• It happens almost everyday. We talk a career choices and how to get there.• Numerous discussions with students on their life's choices--careers, family,

parents.

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Age Differences – Faith Maturity

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Age Differences -Discernment and Mentoring

010203040506070

Discernment Mentoring*

Young FacultyOlder Faculty

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Qualitative Vocational Differences

Based on Age

•Young Faculty (under 46) vs. Older Faculty (over 45)–Definition & Discernment–Barriers–Mentoring

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Vocational Definition & Discernment

Younger Faculty – Whole Self• Using my god given gifts to serve others in the name of Christ. • To use my gifts to serve the needs of those around me -

specifically my knowledge and talents to influence for good those around me

• To follow where God leads me to serve others in my life, to be a teacher to fulfill this.

• Developing others to live productive lives. Impacting the whole person.

• Educating young people in the field of music; imparting a sense of joy and wonder as to the beauty of music as an expression of God's love for us all.

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Vocational Definition & Discernment

Older Faculty – Servanthood• Supporting and challenging young adults as they

develop faith and purpose for their lives. • Helping students life and how to make life decisions• My vocation is using my gifts and abilities in doing tasks

in the world that are needed by the world• I am called to live on the earth as he lived on the earth

through sacrificing service to others. • To serve humanity all those I come into contact with by

helping them to achieve their potential as god has given them ability and opportunity to reach it.

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Vocational BarriersYounger Faculty – Environment

& Fear• As a graduate student, I was challenged by the secular

environment in which talking about Christ was wholly unacceptable and a point of animus from other students.

• We live far from family and friends, but we have established a strong community of friends here.

• This is a teaching university. A true scholar is somewhat limited here due to the heavy teaching load and extra curricular responsibilities.

• Fear of the unknown, of stepping out on a limb.• Sin and weakness are the primary barriers to hearing

and responding to God with your whole self.

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Vocational BarriersOlder Faculty – Systems, Time, &

Realism• Don't feel many barriers. Getting old helps you become more

realistic. • The part of my vocation that I can carry out on a personal level is

unrestrained• Sometimes it feels like the University takes advantage of professors

who feel a calling to serve (students and constituents) by not paying them well or not reimbursing them well for expenses related to service. While service extends beyond the job the part that overlaps is not well rewarded and seemingly not well regarded here.

• My "barriers" have been erected by my own personal, spiritual, and personality-related factors.

• Perhaps the lack of thinking about or knowing possibilities. • On level of desire and motivation I am high. However, some of life's

constraints interfere with attaining the desired level of accomplishment.

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Vocational MentoringYounger Faculty – Graduate

School Counseling• I had the privilege of mentoring two valedictorians: In both cases the

mentoring was about both career and vocation.

• A student told me that I was the first faculty member who had really taken the time to sit down and talk with him about these choices.

• I consistently meet with students interested in pursuing legal or political concerns to discuss the impact of faith on legal practice and law as services

• A Junior ROTC student and her desire to pursue a counseling career Her parents visited and we all discussed her conflict now she is married and in graduate school for her career.

• A student does poorly on a test and it provokes a mini crisis of meaning: what am I doing here? I tried to get her to see her life as a whole, to see that she ought to choose a career she loves, with a view to her desire for family.

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Vocational MentoringOlder Faculty – Encourage &

Inspire• I have often encouraged students in pursuing their sense of

vocation. • I have counseled scores of students through the year. It's

different to recall particular occasion, though I retain a file of letters and notes from former students who tell me, more or less, "you changed my life.“

• While discovering a specific talent within a student, we were directed in conversation to her lifelong goals and purpose.

• I encourage students to strengthen their faith and define the direction of their lives.

• A student wanted advice on whether to pursue a non-profit career or a business career.

• When students stay after class to talk about a course-related issue, the conversation often turns to vocation.

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Best Predictors of Discernment and Mentoring

– Faith Maturity is best predictor of Discernment (controlling for Gender and Age) (R2 = .30)

– Discernment is best predictor of Mentoring (controlling for Gender, Age, and Faith Maturity) (R2 = .47)

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Recommendations and Implications• Gender differences exist in faith maturity and

perceptions of vocational barriers• Faculty Development should incorporate

opportunities for faith development – at individual and community levels

• Faculty should be encouraged to reflect on their vocational calling throughout their academic careers

• Faculty Development should be purposeful about helping faculty serve as mentors to each other and to their students

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How to Contact Us

• Don Thompson• Don.Thompson@pepperdine.edu

• Cindy Miller-Perrin• Cindy.Perrin@pepperdine.edu

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