The mediating role of discrimination against women's work in the effect of gender equality perception on career decision

This study aims to investigate the relationships between university students' gender perceptions, attitudes toward discrimination against working women, and their career decisionmaking processes. It seeks to understand how perceptions of gender equality or inequality influence career orientations and to examine the mediating role of discriminatory attitudes toward women's participation in the workforce. The research sample consists of 542 students from various faculties of a university. Data were collected through the Gender Perception Scale, the Discrimination Against Working Women Scale, and the Career Decision-Making Scale. Analyses were conducted using SPSS 27.0 and AMOS 24.0 software. Group differences were examined using the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Relationships among variables were analyzed using correlation analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). To ensure the validity and reliability of the scales, both Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) were performed. Findings indicate that gender perception has a significant and positive effect on career decisionmaking, with discriminatory attitudes toward working women partially mediating this relationship. Gender roles and discrimination perceptions were found to play a significant role in women's career decisions. Group comparisons revealed significant differences between genders in overall gender perception, career awareness and goal-setting, work-life and marriage compatibility subscales, as well as overall discrimination attitudes. Differences were also observed across education and income groups in terms of gender perception and discrimination. These results emphasize the importance of developing educational programs and policies aimed at reducing gender-based discrimination and supporting women's active participation in the workforce.