Social aspects of career choice from the perspective of habitus theory

•The article describes theoretical constructs of habitus theory that are relevant in career counseling research.•A study is reported on the influence of habitus on occupational perceptions and occupational preferences of young adults.•The construction of measures of habitus and its psychometric characteristics is described.•Patterns of cultural consumption (habitus) are strongly related to social variables, such as gender or social class.•Results show that habitus is an important variable in career decision making.

The concept of habitus designates a cognitive structure that is socially embedded and can give valuable insight into the social influences on career choice. A study investigating the relationship of habitus to career choice is presented in a sample of Icelandic youth aged 19–22 (N = 476). Measures of habitus were developed on the basis of reported cultural and leisure activities. The analysis of leisure and cultural items progressed in two steps: factor analysis and cluster analysis. The clusters constitute the four different habitus groups: Pop and fashion, Sports and rock, Music, and Literature. Correspondence factor analysis showed that the habitus groups (clusters) were related to other social variables, such as gender and class; validating habitus theory. Additionally, habitus measures were strongly linked to career variables, such as occupational perception and preferred future occupation. The results support previous research in showing that habitus theory is relevant to career counseling theory and can be a basis of understanding the relationship between social structure and career choice.