Task 2. Job stereotypes.
Well, we heard some people just now who seem to feel that other people have a wrong idea about the work they do.
Do you think this sort of thing is very widespread?
Oh absolutely.
Most jobs or professions seem to have an image or a stereotype attached to them, often much to the irritation of the job holders.
But there is a serious point to all this, too, that maybe young people actually choose their careers under the influence of this false images.
And certainly, there is evidence that they may even avoid certain careers because they have a negative image.
Well, on a large scale, as you can imagine, this could cause problems for whole sectors of economy.
You say there's evidence?
Oh, most definitely.
There was a survey recently into children's attitudes to different professions.
How was that done, though?
Because, after all, children don't know much about the world of work before they get into it.
Well, exactly.
What the investigators wanted to get at was their impressions and their prejudices.
They used a very simple technique.
They gave the children 12 pairs of statements.
In each pair, one statement was positive, the other was its opposite.
For example?
Well, for example, such and such a person is likely to be boring or interesting company.
I see, what professions did they ask about?
Do you want the whole list?
Why not? OK, here goes.
They looked at, physicists, lawyers, economists, accountants, sale representatives, estate agents,
biologists and three types of engineer, mechanical engineers, electrical and civil.
The children were asked to say which of the statements was most true about each profession.
And the results?
Well, they were rather striking concerning one profession in particular, the poor old engineer.
Of all the jobs mentioned, he came out really much worse than you might expect.
The vast majority of children, 90% in the case of the mechanical engineer, thought that engineering was a dirty job.
They also thought the job was of low status and subordinate, that is the engineer is more likely to take orders than to give them, oh, and insecure too.
The only other person they thought more likely to actually lose his job was the sale representatives.
But, I must say there were good points too.
Engineers was seen to be interesting and well-paid work.
Hmm, not such a rosy picture, really.
No, but it got better when the children were asked about how they imagined the engineer as a person.
The majority of the children choose positive comments except that they thought the engineer was likely to be badly rather than well dressed.
Well, what about the other professions, then?
Erm, what came out the favourite, for example?
Oh, the lawyer without a doubt.
He collected by far the greatest number of positive opinions.
The sales representatives and then the estate agent were right at the bottom.
Oh, so the engineers weren't right down there?
Oh no. the children's ratings put them just above the poor old sales representatives all bunched together.
Probably the children don't have that much of an idea of their real work.
I think they ...they went by the titles, really.
Since civil engineers came out top, perhaps the suggestion of the name?
Oh, I see, you mean that he was...a more civilized sort of chap than the others?
Yes, right. Reasonable sounding, isn't it?
Yes, quite sensible, I suppose.
And I imagine the mechanical engineer came out bottom?
Absolutely right, in fact 90% of the children associated him with dirty work, as against 76% for the electrical engineer and 68% for the civil engineer.
And the other professions?
Well, after the lawyer came the accountant, then the scientists, the physicist first.
The economist came just above the engineers.
Funnily enough, he was the only one that the majority of children felt would be gloomy rather than cheerful.
A real sign of the times, that.
Yes, but I still think the most serious implication of the results of survey was the children's apparent ignorance of the importance of the engineer's role in society. Hmm.
After all, in most other European countries, to be an engineer is to be somebody.
And I image that this means that many bright children, who might really enjoy profession and do well in it, probably never consider it.
Which is a great pity for the country as a whole.
We do need good engineers after all.