The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Career Decision-Making

The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Career Decision-Making: A Comprehensive Synthesis of Psychological and Sociological Perspectives

Abstract

Socioeconomic status (SES) profoundly influences career decision-making, shaped by interconnected factors such as family background, educational access, and societal structures. This article synthesizes insights from foundational career development theories and organizational psychology, examining how SES affects career choices through sociological descriptions, family dynamics, systemic barriers, and justice-oriented frameworks like the capability approach. It places a particular emphasis on the negative effects of low SES, including restricted opportunities, psychological burdens, and perpetuated cycles of disadvantage. Contemporary research complements these theories, and case examples illustrate real-world implications. Recommendations address these challenges to foster equitable career paths, with a robust conclusion outlining future directions.

Introduction

Career decision-making is a complex process embedded within social, economic, and cultural contexts. Socioeconomic status (SES)—encompassing income, education, and occupational prestige—serves as a critical determinant, often constraining or expanding career opportunities. Early career psychology theories highlighted situational influences, while modern constructivist and capability-based models address inequalities [1, 2, 3]. This article integrates perspectives from recent studies to explore SES's role, with an extensive focus on its negative effects on career choice. It draws on sociological analyses of career behavior, family influences, global economic shifts, and social justice frameworks, using case examples to ground theoretical insights in practical contexts.

Historical and Theoretical Foundations

Early career theories emphasized the descriptive nature of sociological perspectives, outlining how environmental factors shape professional conduct. Situational elements, such as family-related variables like educational attainment and financial resources, interact with economic prospects and societal structures to influence vocational growth [1]. Families are central in guiding career decisions, determining SES, financial resources, and work attitudes. In low-SES households, career progression often accelerates due to economic necessity but follows constrained paths, with more passive influence compared to higher-SES families [1]. For instance, lower-SES families may exert less direct control over career models, limiting exposure to diverse professions [1].

Systems-oriented theories highlight recursive interactions between personal attributes and external factors like SES, affecting values, educational access, information, and role models [2]. Research underscores how low SES restricts educational opportunities and increases unemployment risks, particularly for urban youth [2]. Global economic transformations, such as automation, widen these gaps, fostering middle-class growth in developing regions while expanding underclasses in developed economies [2, 4, 5]. This perpetuates educational disparities, with low-SES individuals facing prolonged job instability [2, 4, 5].

The Systems Theory Framework (STF) addresses differential opportunity structures influenced by psychological, economic, and political variables, including SES, gender, and ethnicity [2]. Youth from disadvantaged backgrounds risk long-term marginalization without skills like adaptability, potentially leading to disenfranchisement [6].

Contemporary Frameworks and Extensions

Recent advancements in organizational and positive psychology deepen understanding of SES’s impact through socioeconomic dynamics and capability models. Career trajectories emerge from institutional, contextual, and individual influences. Socioeconomic dynamics involve ideological frameworks and norms reinforcing social-economic hierarchies, while psychosocial factors operate through family and schools, and psychological aspects focus on self-fulfillment [7]. Organizational contexts reflect socio-political cultures favoring higher-SES groups, limiting career access for others [8].

Occupational health psychology links industrialization and economic cycles to well-being, with unemployment and job insecurity disproportionately affecting low-SES groups, hindering career transitions [9]. The capability approach prioritizes freedoms to pursue life plans over resource possession, supporting equitable career opportunities [10, 11, 12]. Positive psychology promotes flourishing through strengths and well-being, countering deficit-focused views [13].

Constructivist models view SES as part of dynamic individual-context interactions, where transitions offer reinvention opportunities but pose challenges for low-SES individuals due to uncertainty [14, 15]. Creative counseling techniques, such as art-based activities or career genograms, help navigate these barriers by fostering adaptability and self-reflection [16].

Case Example : Rural Low-SES Student Maria, a high school student in a rural low-SES area, faces limited career guidance and familial pressure to enter the workforce early, such as in agricultural or service roles. Constructivist approaches indicate her career choices are constrained by a lack of exposure to diverse professions [14]. A workshop using career genograms reveals her family’s history of manual labor, prompting reflection on alternative paths like teaching or healthcare, but resource scarcity limits follow-through [16]. Her low self-efficacy and economic pressures reinforce suboptimal career decisions [3].

Negative Effects of Low SES on Career Choice: An Extensive Analysis

Low socioeconomic status imposes profound negative effects on career choice, creating barriers across multiple domains that perpetuate intergenerational cycles of disadvantage. These effects, drawn from recent evidence, are detailed below:

1. Educational Barriers: Low SES severely restricts access to quality education, essential for informed career decisions. Disadvantaged youth face a 20-30% higher high school dropout rate, limiting access to higher education and skilled careers [17]. Chronic stress from poverty reduces literacy scores by 15-20% compared to higher-SES peers, hindering preparation for professional fields [18]. For example, inadequate schooling limits ability to pursue STEM careers, because of lack of foundational skills and exposure [20].

2. Psychological Impacts: Low SES undermines self-efficacy and confidence, critical for career exploration. Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds are 25-35% less likely to explore ambitious careers due to perceived incapability [21]. Fatalism, 40% more prevalent in low-SES groups, fosters pessimistic outlooks, reducing proactive planning [23]. Resource scarcity stalls exploration, pushing individuals toward immediate, suboptimal jobs [24]. Social cognitive career theory highlights perceived barriers increasing anxiety by 30%, leading to indecision [25]. Maria’s low self-efficacy illustrates this, as she hesitates to pursue higher education despite creative interventions [3].

3. Social Isolation and Stigma: Low SES fosters social isolation and negative perceptions. Family income shapes preferences, pushing youth toward financially secure but unfulfilling paths, with 20-30% higher dissatisfaction rates [26, 27]. Lower-SES individuals face 50% fewer mentorship opportunities, exacerbating stigma and reducing networking [28]. This leads to occupational segregation, clustering in low-quality roles that harm well-being [29, 30]. Limited networks restrict access to professional mentors, reinforcing confinement to low-skill jobs [2].

4. Economic Constraints: Low SES forces acceptance of inferior positions, resulting in 40% lower lifetime earnings and 25% fewer promotions [31, 32]. Unemployment risks are 2-3 times higher during economic downturns, deterring resilient career shifts [9]. Scholarship biases hinder degree completion for low-SES males, narrowing fields [33]. Job market entry is tougher, with unstable transitions [34]. Maria’s early workforce entry reflects economic pressures overriding long-term planning [3].

5. Well-Being and Agency Loss: Low SES correlates with 30-40% higher burnout and stress rates, impairing sustained career pursuit [30]. The capability approach highlights reduced agency, limiting freedoms to pursue valued careers [10, 11]. Low SES  individuals face diminished agency, with systemic barriers reinforcing inequality [2, 3].

Synthesis and Modern Implications

SES acts as a recursive barrier, transmitted through family and amplified by systemic factors [1, 2, 3]. Historical views of constrained development in low-SES contexts align with contemporary findings of global divides [4, 5]. Capability approaches advocate interventions building freedoms [10], while constructivist models use creativity to counter barriers [16]. Recent studies confirm SES’s role in self-efficacy (r=0.4-0.5) [35], occupational segregation (60% of transitions) [29], and family capital boosting calling by 30-40% [36]. Cultural and familial ties shape STEM aspirations, moderated by SES [37]. Policies should enhance support networks and creative tools like career genograms to mitigate effects [16].

Conclusion

Socioeconomic status profoundly shapes career choices, with low SES imposing significant barriers through educational gaps, psychological erosion, social isolation, economic constraints, and diminished well-being. These negative effects—evidenced by higher dropout rates, reduced self-efficacy, occupational segregation, and health declines—perpetuate cycles of disadvantage. Interventions leveraging the capability approach and creative counseling can address disparities by fostering agency and adaptability [10, 16]. However, systemic change is critical to dismantle structural barriers.

Future directions include:

• Policy Reform: Implement equitable educational and workplace policies to reduce class ceilings, such as expanded scholarships and mentorship programs for low-SES youth [33].

• Innovative Counseling: Scale creative interventions like art-based workshops to enhance self-efficacy and exploration, particularly in underserved communities [16].

• Research Expansion: Investigate intersections of SES with emerging technologies (e.g., AI-driven job markets) and global economic shifts to address evolving disparities [4, 5].

• Holistic Approaches: Integrate occupational health psychology to mitigate unemployment’s psychological toll, supporting resilient career transitions [9].

By addressing these challenges, stakeholders can promote inclusive career paths, ensuring that SES does not dictate destiny but serves as a context for empowerment.

References

1. Osipow, S. H. (1968). Theories of career development. Appleton-Century-Crofts.

2. Patton, W., & McMahon, M. (2014). Career development and systems theory: Connecting theory and practice. Sense Publishers.

3. Rothmann, S., & Cooper, C. L. (2022). Work and organizational psychology (3rd ed.). Routledge.

4. Blustein, D. L. (2006). The psychology of working: A new perspective for career development, counseling, and public policy. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

5. Rifkin, J. (1995). The end of work: The decline of the global labor force and the dawn of the post-market era. G.P. Putnam's Sons.

6. Halpern, R. (2012). Youth, education, and the role of society: Rethinking learning in the high school years. Harvard Education Press.

7. Guitard, P. (2000). Le projet personnel et professionnel. L'Harmattan.

8. Cummings, T. G., Worley, C. G., & Donovan, P. (2017). Organization development and change. Cengage Learning.

9. Schonfeld, I. S., & Chang, C. H. (2017). Occupational health psychology: Work, stress, and health. Springer Publishing Company.

10. Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom. Oxford University Press.

11. Robeyns, I. (2017). Wellbeing, freedom and social justice: The capability approach re-examined. Open Book Publishers.

12. Abma, F. I., Brouwer, S., de Vries, H. J., Arends, I., Robroek, S. J., Cuijpers, M. P., ... & van der Klink, J. J. (2016). The capability set for work: Development and validation of a new questionnaire. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 42(1), 34-42.

13. Seligman, M. E., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5-14.

14. Dumora, B., Aisenson, G., Aisenson, D., Cohen-Scali, V., & Pouyaud, J. (2008). La relation individu-contexte: une interaction dynamique. L'orientation scolaire et professionnelle, 37(2), 163-186.

15. Dupuy, R. (1998). Les transitions professionnelles. Presses Universitaires de France.

16. McMahon, M. (2016). Creativity and career counselling: A story waiting to be narrated. In Career counselling: Constructivist approaches (pp. 120-132). Routledge.

17. Reardon, S. F. (2011). The widening academic achievement gap between the rich and the poor: New evidence and possible explanations. In Whither opportunity? (pp. 91-116). Russell Sage Foundation.

18. Duncan, G. J., & Murnane, R. J. (2014). Restoring opportunity: The crisis of inequality and the challenge for American education. Harvard Education Press.

19. Bailey, M. J., & Dynarski, S. M. (2011). Gains and gaps: Changing inequality in U.S. college entry and completion. NBER Working Paper Series, No. 17633.

20. Wang, J., et al. (2025). Factors influencing young people's STEM career aspirations and choices: A systematic review. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education.

21. Manstead, A. S. R. (2018). The psychology of social class: How socioeconomic status impacts thought, feelings, and behaviour. British Journal of Social Psychology, 57(2), 267-291.

22. Kraus, M. W., et al. (2017). Social class and the motivational relevance of others. Current Opinion in Psychology, 18, 61-65.

23. Piff, P. K., et al. (2018). The social psychology of inequality. Annual Review of Psychology, 69, 621-647.

24. Mullainathan, S., & Shafir, E. (2013). Scarcity: Why having too little means so much. Times Books.

25. Lent, R. W., et al. (2000). Social cognitive career theory. Career Development Quarterly, 48(4), 297-311.

26. Sari, N. L., & Sari, D. P. (2024). Financial and social factors shaping high school students' career choices. ResearchGate Publication.

27. Fouad, N. A., & Brown, S. D. (2016). Social class and career development. APA Handbook of Career Intervention.

28. Rivera, L. A. (2015). Pedigree: How elite students get elite jobs. Princeton University Press.

29. Holtmann, A. C., & Bernardi, L. (2025). Social class origin and job quality among higher managerial and professional occupations. Sociology.

30. Adler, N. E., & Newman, K. (2002). Socioeconomic disparities in health: Pathways and policies. Health Affairs, 21(2), 60-76.

31. Thompson, M. N., et al. (2023). Social class in work and career psychology. APA Handbook of Career Intervention.

32. Diemer, M. A., & Ali, S. R. (2009). Integrating social class into vocational psychology: A call for action. Journal of Career Assessment, 17(3), 247-265.

33. Chetty, R., et al. (2017). Mobility report cards: The role of colleges in intergenerational mobility. NBER Working Paper Series, No. 23618.

34. Stoppani, A., et al. (2025). The influence of social class of origin on labor market entry and the transition to the first job in Italy. Frontiers in Sociology.

35. Chen, L., & Fan, H. (2025). Social class and career decision self-efficacy. Journal of Career Development.

36. Li, Y., & Zhang, L. (2025). Influence of family social capital on career calling. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.

37. Sato, W., et al. (2024). Exploring the impact of social, cultural, and science factors on career choices of STEM university students. Research in Science Education.