Ethnic and Gender Variations in Adolescents' Future Aspirations

This study examined how early adolescents' future aspirations varied by ethnicity and gender among the majority Han and two Muslim ethnic minority groups (Hui and Kazakhs) in China.

1426 adolescents (948 Han, 200 Hui, and 278 Kazakh; 56.0% girls; M_age = 13.46 years, SD_age = 0.72, age range: 10-17 years) from middle- and working-class families in northwestern China participated in a two-wave longitudinal study spanning a year (2017-2018). At each wave, adolescents described in writing what they wanted their lives to be like 20 years later. Adolescents' open-ended responses of future aspirations were coded into 15 mutually exclusive subcategories.

Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was conducted to examine variations of future aspirations by ethnicity, gender, and time. Adolescents across ethnicities emphasized achievement outcomes the most in their future aspirations. Han (vs. Kazakh) adolescents placed more emphasis on self-maximization and psychological well-being, and less on academic achievement and morality. The Hui, who are more acculturated than the Kazakhs, appeared to be midway between the two groups. Girls emphasized less on career and life achievement and social contribution and more on self-reliance, psychological well-being, and extrafamilial relationships compared to boys, which largely aligned with traditional gender roles across the three ethnic groups.

Findings highlighted the interplay between traditional values and the changing sociocultural context in shaping the future aspirations of Chinese adolescents from diverse ethnic backgrounds.