Career aspirations, expectations, and perceived contextual barriers in native and foreign-born citizens: An italian case study

Titolo Rivista RICERCHE DI PSICOLOGIA
Autori/Curatori Nicola Rainisio, Linda Pola, Alessandra Mussi, Chiara Bove, Paolo Inghilleri
Anno di pubblicazione 2023 Fascicolo 2022/3
Lingua Inglese Numero pagine 25 P. 1-25 Dimensione file 0 KB
DOI 10.3280/rip2022oa15030
Il DOI è il codice a barre della proprietà intellettuale: per saperne di più clicca qui

Vedi l'articolo Scarica l'articolo open access

FrancoAngeli è membro della Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA)associazione indipendente e non profit per facilitare (attraverso i servizi tecnologici implementati da CrossRef.org) l’accesso degli studiosi ai contenuti digitali nelle pubblicazioni professionali e scientifiche

The Italian labor market is recognized as disadvantaged for foreign-born citizens, with negative effects on their psychosocial wellbeing. In other countries, significant differences between career aspirations and expectations or perceived opportunities in native and foreign-born citizens has been welldocumented, mainly due to the presence of perceived socio-economic barriers, while studies on this topic are lacking in Italy. Addressing this research gap, we investigated the relationship between career expectations and aspirations in native and foreign-born citizens and the role of the perceived contextual barriers within an Italian sample. 291 inhabitants of Pioltello, a multicultural municipality in the metropolitan area of Milan, were involved in our quantitative study. Results suggest that, in line with the latest research trends, the Italian context differences already emerge in the aspirational phase, as foreign-born citizens are more aligned than natives with the labor market demands. Differently, natives operate a stronger realignment in the transition from career aspirations to expectations. Moreover, foreign-born citizens also perceive a stronger influence of socio-economic barriers on their career opportunities. Policy implications of this findings in psycho-social and educational fields, aimed at promoting individual and social wellbeing, are finally discussed.

The Italian labor market is recognized as disadvantaged for foreign-born citizens, with negative effects on their psychosocial wellbeing. In other countries, significant differences between career aspirations and expectations or perceived opportunities in native and foreign-born citizens has been welldocumented, mainly due to the presence of perceived socio-economic barriers, while studies on this topic are lacking in Italy. Addressing this research gap, we investigated the relationship between career expectations and aspirations in native and foreign-born citizens and the role of the perceived contextual barriers within an Italian sample. 291 inhabitants of Pioltello, a multicultural municipality in the metropolitan area of Milan, were involved in our quantitative study. Results suggest that, in line with the latest research trends, the Italian context differences already emerge in the aspirational phase, as foreign-born citizens are more aligned than natives with the labor market demands. Differently, natives operate a stronger realignment in the transition from career aspirations to expectations. Moreover, foreign-born citizens also perceive a stronger influence of socio-economic barriers on their career opportunities. Policy implications of this findings in psycho-social and educational fields, aimed at promoting individual and social wellbeing, are finally discussed.

Keywords:; Career aspirations; Career expectations; Foreign-born citizens; Socioeconomic barriers; Social Psychology; Citizenship Education

  1. Arbona, C., & Novy, D. M. (1991). Career aspirations and expectations of Black, Mexican American, and White students. The Career Development Quarterly, 39(3), 231-239. DOI: 10.1002/j.2161-0045.1991.tb00395.x.
  2. Armstrong, P. I., & Crombie, G. (2000). Compromises in adolescents’ occupational aspirations and expectations from grades 8-10. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 56, 82-98. DOI: 10.1006/jvbe.1999.1709.
  3. Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs (NJ): Prentice Hall. DOI: 10.5465/amr.1987.4306538.
  4. Boffi, M., Pola, L., Fumagalli, N., Fermani, E., Senes, G., & Inghilleri, P. (2021). Nature Experiences of Older People for Active Ageing: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Co-Design of Community Gardens. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 4175. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.702525.
  5. Boffi, M., Rainisio, N. (2017). To Be There, Or Not to Be. Designing Subjective Urban Experiences. In B.E.A. Piga & R. Salerno (Eds.), Urban Design and Representation (pp. 37-53). Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-51804-6_4.
  6. Boffi M., Riva E., Rainisio N., Inghilleri P. (2016) Social Psychology of Flow: A Situated Framework for Optimal Experience. In L. Harmat, F. Ørsted Andersen, F. Ullén, J. Wright & G. Sadlo (Eds.), Flow Experience. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-28634-1_14.
  7. Bolzani, D., Crivellaro, F., & Grimaldi, R. (2021). Highly skilled, yet invisible. The potential of migrant women with a STEMM background in Italy between intersectional barriers and resources. Gender, Work & Organization, 28(6), 2132-2157. DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12719.
  8. Borrell, C., Palència, L., Bartoll, X., Ikram, U., & Malmusi, D. (2015). Perceived discrimination and health among immigrants in Europe according to national integration policies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(9), 10687-10699. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph120910687.
  9. Brown, D. L., & Segrist, D. (2016). African American career aspirations: Examining the relative influence of internalized racism. Journal of Career Development, 43(2), 177-189. DOI: 10.1177/08948453155862.
  10. Capobianco, R. (2018). La scuola dei talenti nella società delle competenze. Formazione & Insegnamento, 16(2) , 49-58. DOI: 10.1002/j.2161-0045.2005.tb00992.x.
  11. Cardoso, P., & Marques, J. F. (2008). Perception of career barriers: The importance of gender and ethnic variables. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 8(1), 49-61. DOI: 10.1007/s10775-008-9135-y.
  12. Cela, E., & Barbiano di Belgiojoso, E. (2021). Loneliness Among Migrants in Italy: Risks and Protectors. Migration Letters, 18(6), 637-648.
  13. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Flow and Creativity. Namta Journal, 22(2), 60-97.
  14. Di Napoli, A., Rossi, A., Baralla, F., Ventura, M., Gatta, R., Perez, M., Sarchiapone, M., Mirisola, C, & Petrelli, A. (2021). Self-perceived workplace discrimination and mental health among immigrant workers in Italy: a crosssectional study. BMC Psychiatry, 21(1), 1-11. DOI: 10.1186/s12888-021-03077-6.
  15. Fouad, N. A., & Byars- Winston, A. M. (2005). Cultural context of career choice: meta- analysis of race/ethnicity differences. The Career Development Quarterly, 53(3), 223-233. DOI: 10.1002/j.2161-0045.2005.tb00992.x.
  16. Franzen, A., & Meyer, R. (2010). Environmental attitudes in cross-national perspective: A multi-level analysis of the ISSP 1993 and 2000. European Sociological Review, 26(2):219-234. DOI: 10.1093/esr/jcp018.
  17. Fumagalli, N., Fermani, E., Senes, G., Boffi, M., Pola, L., & Inghilleri, P. (2020). Sustainable Co-Design with Older People: The Case of a Public Restorative Garden in Milan (Italy). Sustainability, 12 (8), 3166. DOI: 10.3390/su12083166.
  18. García-Ramírez, M., Manuel, L., Paloma, V., & Hernández-Plaza, S. (2011). A liberation psychology approach to acculturative integration of migrant populations. American Journal of Community Psychology, 47(1-2), 86-97. DOI: 10.1007/s10464-010-9372-3.
  19. Higgins, E. T. (1987). Self-discrepancy: a theory relating self and affect. Psychological Review, 94(3), 319-340.
  20. Howard, K. A., Carlstrom, A. H., Katz, A. D., Chew, A. Y., Ray, G. C., Laine, L., & Caulum, D. (2011). Career aspirations of youth: Untangling race/ethnicity, SES, and gender. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79(1), 98-109. DOI: 10.1016/j.jvb.2010.12.002.
  21. Italian Ministry of Labor and Social Policies (2020). Gli stranieri nel mercato del lavoro in Italia. XI Rapporto Annuale (XI Annual Report): https://www.integrazionemigranti.gov.it/AnteprimaPDF.aspx?id=2877.
  22. Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (2002). Social cognitive career theory. Career Choice and Development, 4(1), 255-311.
  23. Li, X., Kim, Y. H., Keum, B. T., Wang, Y. W., & Bishop, K. (2021). A Broken Pipeline: Effects of Gender and Racial/Ethnic Barriers on College Students’ Educational Aspiration-Pursuit Gap. Journal of Career Development, Feb. DOI: 10.1177/0894845321994196.
  24. Luzzo, D. A., & McWhirter, E. H. (2001). Sex and ethnic differences in the perception of educational and career- related barriers and levels of coping efficacy. Journal of Counseling & Development, 79(1), 61-67. DOI: 10.1002/j.1556-6676.2001.tb01944.x.
  25. Mantovani, D. (2013). Aspirazioni e aspettative lavorative: giovani studenti italiani e stranieri a confronto. Quaderni di Sociologia, 61, 50-75. DOI: 10.4000/qds.484.
  26. Maree, J. G., Gerryts, E. W., Fletcher, L., & Olivier, J. (2019). Using career counselling with group life design principles to improve the employability of disadvantaged young adults. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 29(2), 110-120.
  27. McNulty, W. B., & Borgen, W. A. (1988). Career expectations and aspirations of adolescents. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 33(2), 217-224. DOI: 10.1016/0001-8791(88)90057-7.
  28. Metz, A. J., Fouad, N., & Ihle-Helledy, K. (2009). Career aspirations and expectations of college students: Demographic and labor market
  29. comparisons. Journal of Career Assessment, 17(2), 155-171. DOI: 10.1177/1069072708328862.
  30. Mussi, A., & Chinazzi, A. (2022, in press). Civic education as a “lived” experience of active and intercultural citizenship between school and extraschool. Insights from a research experience with youth from an Italian multicultural neighborhood, INCLUYE Proceeding.
  31. Mussi, A., Bove, C., & Basaglia, S. (2021). A Global Citizenship Education as an Opportunity for Re-inventing Citizenship. Insights from an Empirical Research Experience in a Multicultural Neighborhood. In 2nd International Conference of the Journal Scuola Democratica “Reinventing Education”, 1, Citizenship, Work and The Global Age (pp. 819-830). Roma: Associazione “Per Scuola Democratica.
  32. Nota, L., Santilli, S., & Soresi, S. (2016). A life- design- based online career intervention for early adolescents: Description and initial analysis. The Career Development Quarterly, 64(1), 4-19.
  33. Oyserman, D., Bybee, D., & Terry, K. (2006). Possible selves and academic outcomes: How and when possible selves impel action. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 188-204.
  34. Portera, A., Dusi, P., & Guidetti, B. (Eds.) (2015). L’educazione interculturale alla cittadinanza. La scuola come laboratorio. Roma: Carocci.
  35. Prilleltensky, I. (2008). Migrant well-being is a multilevel, dynamic, value dependent phenomenon. American Journal of Community Psychology, 42(3-4), 359-364. DOI: 10.1007/s10464-008-9196-6.
  36. Rainisio, N., & Inghilleri, P. (2006). Attaccamento ai luoghi, identità giovanile e benessere: Una ricerca in Europa e implicazioni per la comunicazione interculturale. Ikon-Forme e Processi del Comunicare, 53, 39-65. DOI: 10.3280/IKR2006-053003.
  37. Rainisio, N., Boffi, M., & Riva, E. (2015). Positive change in environment: Aesthetics, environmental flowability and well-being. In P. Inghilleri, G. Riva, & E. Riva (Eds.), Enabling positive change: Flow and complexity in daily experience (pp. 91-104). Warsaw/Berlin: De Gruyter. DOI: 10.2478/9783110410242.6.
  38. Rainisio, N., Boffi, M., Pola, L., Inghilleri, P., Sergi, I., & Liberatori, M. (2022). The role of gender and self-efficacy in domestic energy saving behaviors: A case study in Lombardy, Italy. Energy Policy, 160, 112696. DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112696.
  39. Rapp, C. (2020). National attachments and the immigrant participation gap. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 46(13), 2818-2840. DOI: 10.1080/1369183X.2018.1517596.
  40. Riva, E., Rainisio, N., & Boffi, M. (2015). Positive change in clinical settings: Flow experience in psychodynamic therapies. In P. Inghilleri, G. Riva, & E. Riva (Eds.), Enabling positive change: Flow and complexity in daily experience (pp. 91-104). Warsaw/Berlin: De Gruyter. DOI: 10.2478/9783110410242.5.
  41. Rojewski, J. W. (2005). Occupational aspirations: Constructs, meanings, and application. In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (pp. 131- 154). New York: Wiley.
  42. Rojewski, J. W., & Yang, B. (1997). Longitudinal analysis of select influences on adolescentsʼ occupational aspirations. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 51(3), 375-410. DOI: 10.1006/jvbe.1996.1561.
  43. Savickas, M. L. (2012). Life design: A paradigm for career intervention in the 21st century. Journal of Counseling & Development, 90(1), 13-19.
  44. Salvatore, M.A., Baglio, G., Cacciani, L., Spagnolo, A., & Rosano, A. (2012). Discrimination at the workplace among immigrants in Italy. La Medicina del Lavoro, 103, 249-258.
  45. Santilli, S., Nota, L., & Hartung, P. J. (2019). Efficacy of a group career construction intervention with early adolescent youth. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 111, 49-58.
  46. Sirkin, R. M. (2006). Statistics for the social sciences (3rd ed.). London: SAGE Publications. DOI: 10.4135/9781412985987.
  47. Venturini, A., & Villosio, C. (2008). Labour-market assimilation of foreign workers in Italy. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 24(3), 517-541. DOI: 10.1093/oxrep/grn030.
  48. Vianello, F. A., & Toffanin, A. M. (2021). Young adult migrants’ representation of ethnic, gender and generational disadvantage in Italy. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 44(1), 154-172. DOI: 10.1080/01419870.2020.1726429.

Nicola Rainisio, Linda Pola, Alessandra Mussi, Chiara Bove, Paolo Inghilleri, Career aspirations, expectations, and perceived contextual barriers in native and foreign-born citizens: An italian case study in "RICERCHE DI PSICOLOGIA" 3/2022, pp 1-25, DOI: 10.3280/rip2022oa15030