| Abstract. Prior research indicates that hegemonic gender beliefs are pervasive in all social settings and interactions. Images of the household division of labor, gender authority differences, and the sex segregation of jobs are institutionalized in society through the media, normative images of the family, and so on (Ridgeway and Correll 2004). The purpose of this study is to find out university students’ perceptions of gender in the workforce and to what degree female students’ perceptions differ from male students’ perceptions. Students were haphazardly sampled at a mid-sized university in the south. Ninety students participated in the online survey in 2009. Their perceptions were measured through the use of three situational vignettes that made up the, “Perceptions of Gender in the Workforce Index,” created by the researcher. Analysis is continuing in order to determine students’ perceptions of gender in the workforce and to what degree male and female students’ perceptions differ. |