Why are females less likely than males to seek out education and careers in certain STEM fields? What are the psychological processes that explain both gender and individual, differences in educational and occupational choices more generally? Eccles has spent the last 35 years studying these two questions. In her talk, she will summarize the theoretical frame work she and her colleagues have developed and used in their research as well as the major empirical findings they have accumulated using two large-scale and long term longitudinal studies.