The Kaleidoscope Career Model Revisited
This study revisits the parameters of authenticity, balance, and challenge in The Kaleidoscope Career Model (KCM) concerning gender differences in midcareer. Unemployed individuals were surveyed ( n = 744) to determine gender differences in the three parameters across five segmented career stages. The results showed variance in the Authenticity, Balance and Challenge (ABC) parameters across career stages by gender, with balance increasingly important in full midcareer for women but of lesser importance for men. Authenticity showed a similar pattern for men and women, with authenticity rising for women and declining for men in very late career as predicted by the model. Challenge remained consistent for men and women, declining in importance over time. The study contribution offers sharper resonance of the KCM through closely segmented midlife career stages for an unemployed population undergoing career transitions.