Beyond Gender Stereotypes: A Multidimensional Analysis of Career Maturity Among Indonesian Adolescents in the Digital Education Era

Abstract

Background: Career maturity is essential for adolescents navigating educational and occupational transitions in the digital era. However, evidence from developing countries remains limited, and the extent to which gender influences career maturity continues to be debated. Objective: This study examined multidimensional patterns of career maturity among Indonesian adolescents and evaluated gender differences across career maturity dimensions within a digitally transforming educational context. Method: A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1,000 twelfth-grade students from public senior high schools in Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta Special Region, Indonesia. Career maturity was measured using a 24-item scale based on Super’s career development framework, covering six dimensions: career planning, career exploration, career decision-making knowledge, world-of-work knowledge, preferred occupational knowledge, and career realization. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Results: Most adolescents in the study sample demonstrated moderate levels of career maturity (81.9%), while only a small proportion exhibited high career maturity (11.4%). Career planning emerged as the strongest dimension, whereas career exploration showed the lowest development. MANOVA results revealed significant gender differences in multidimensional career maturity profiles. Female students scored higher in career planning and career decision-making knowledge; however, the effect sizes were small, indicating that gender explained only a limited proportion of variance in career maturity. Conclusion: Within the study sample, gender differences in career maturity were statistically significant but generally small, suggesting that gender alone provides a limited explanation of variation in multidimensional career maturity. The findings highlight the importance of strengthening experiential career exploration and digitally integrated career guidance programs to support adolescent career development in emerging educational systems.