An Analysis of Gender Differences in Career Aspirations among Mentees in Public Universities in Kenya

Abstract

Career aspirations play a critical role in shaping students’ educational and professional trajectories. However, many university students graduate without clearly defined career aspirations due to inadequate career guidance and mentorship opportunities. This study sought to establish career aspirations of student mentees and determine the influence of gender in career aspirations among student mentees in public universities in Kenya. The study adopted a convergent mixed-methods research design. Ten public universities were purposively selected from the 33 accredited public universities in Kenya, representing 32% of the target population. A sample of 309 student mentees was selected using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Data were collected using a Career Aspirations Questionnaire. Prior to hypothesis testing, tests of normality and homogeneity of variance revealed that the data violated the assumptions required for parametric analysis. Consequently, the Mann–Whitney U test was employed to examine gender differences in career aspirations. The findings revealed a statistically significant difference in career aspirations between male and female student mentees, with male students reporting higher career aspiration scores than their female counterparts (U = 9163.00, Z = -3.20, p = .001, η² = .03). Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages, while inferential statistics were used to test the study hypothesis. The study concludes that gender significantly influences the career aspirations of student mentees in public universities in Kenya. The findings underscore the need for universities to implement gender-responsive mentorship and career development programmes aimed at fostering equitable career aspirations among students.