Invisible barriers and sustainable careers: a theoretical essay to understand careers in context
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-8077.2025.e99979Keywords:
Careers, Context, Sustainable careers, Social sustainability, SustainabilityAbstract
Objective: This theoretical essay aims to expand the contextual dimension of the concept of sustainable careers by including elements that enable the examination of structural inequalities characterizing the Brazilian labor market and other similar socioeconomic realities.
Methodology: We conducted a theoretical essay that establishes connections between the fundamental dimensions of the sustainable career concept (time, context, agency, and meaning) and the expanded notion of context, including levels related to work, origin, society, culture, and the global sphere.
Results: The study presents an expanded model of context that reveals invisible barriers interfering with career sustainability. Additionally, we propose directions for studies to explore diverse contexts.
Conclusions: An expanded perspective of context allows for understanding the reality of countries with conditions of social inequality, such as Brazil. In this sense, the gap in contextual perspectives in career research, traditionally focused on approaches with individual emphasis, is filled.
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