The shape of a life: Gender and its influence on purpose development

Abstract

This chapter focuses on gender as an example of how social identity might contour the purpose development process, including purpose exploration and commitment, and the specific content of people's chosen purpose in life. Enacting gender roles over time can lead to the development of attitudes, skills, and behaviors that are aligned with societal expectations about one's gender, all of which may contribute to individuals' exploration of and commitment to purpose contents that are aligned with gender expectations as well. After outlining potential connections between gender and purpose exploration, commitment, and content, future directions for research are described, including: articulating costs associated with developing purpose in a patriarchal context, integrating intersectionality into research on purpose development, and moving beyond the gender binary to more accurately reflect people's lived experiences developing and maintaining a sense of purpose in life.