Middle-Age Gender Differences in Emotional Adjustments to Career Depression: Implication for Counselling

Abstract

This study examined middle-age gender differences in career challenges and emotional intelligence and its counselling implications. The study aimed at sensitizing the development of adult counselling programme for the middle-age persons. Survey design was adopted to obtain samples (800) from a large population of middle age between the ages of 35-60years in white collar jobs in Delta state. The population consisted of all males and females between the ages of thirty-five to sixty years in white collar jobs in Nigeria. The main instruments for investigation into this study were the questionnaire and interview in a focus group discussion involving forty middle-age individuals. To obtain the internal consistency of the study, the Cronbach Reliability Coefficient was used, which had a reliability of 0.77and 0.71 for career depression and emotional intelligence respectively. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) was used for data analysis. The findings showed; a need for female adjustment to career challenges. Based on the findings, some recommendations were made amongst which are; the development of adult counselling schemes for the middle-aged persons, individuals should be taught ahead of time to help envision the possible middle-age career and adjustment of female career challenges.