Abstract

This study examines what young Chinese children aged 3 to 10 years of age say about socialization agents who encourage particular kinds of future work and careers. As expected from prior research, family functions as the primary influence, but parents and extended family members operate in a mediated socialization environment where television shows, the Internet, testing, extracurricular activities, and children’s own observations and understanding of what they like and dislike shape their aspirations toward particular careers and occupations. Children’s talk displays the cultural formations and material consequences in which they are embedded, as they allude to parental and children’s responsibilities at the intersections of changing policies and cultures. This study expands theoretical understandings of the human and non-human socialization agents (and their intersections) that influence understandings of work and career, offering practical suggestions for future research and career interventions.