Sixteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

In view of the global economic restructuring and rapid changes in labor market, the competence to adapt to the ever-changing nature of work is increasingly important. To measure this important quality, Savickas (1997) has developed the concept of career adaptability, which he defined as ‘the readiness to cope with the predictable tasks of preparing for and participating in the work role and with the unpredictable adjustments prompted by changes in work and working conditions’. While many past studies have revealed parental influences on career development in general only a few have examined the relationship between parental factors and career adaptability. In particular, it is not clear to what extent and how different kinds of parental support are related to the development of career adaptability. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigate the possible influences of parental factors including family background and 3 kinds of parental support, namely, career guidance, career encouragement and emotional support. It is hoped that this study may delineate the relationships between career adaptability and the different kinds of parental factors and shed light on the parents’ role in the career development of young adults. Two research questions are addressed in this paper: (1) What are the relationships between family socio-economic status (SES) and resources and career adaptability of young adults at the age of 20? (2) What kinds of parental support are related to young adults’ career adaptability after controlling for the family background factors?