Courses, qualifications and career choices: does higher education amplify or reduce gender inequalities? Kate Purcell Warwick Institute for Employment Research GENDER, CLASS, EMPLOYMENT AND FAMILY INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE City University, London, March 27-28, 2008
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Courses, qualifications and career choices: does higher education amplify or reduce gender inequalities? Kate Purcell Warwick Institute for Employment.
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Courses, qualifications and career choices: does higher education amplify or reduce
gender inequalities?
Kate Purcell
Warwick Institute for Employment Research
GENDER, CLASS, EMPLOYMENT AND FAMILY INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCECity University, London, March 27-28, 2008
CURRENT CONTEXT• Human capital – in particular, university-educated labour –
increasingly regarded as crucial to economic development– successive UK governments have invested in increasingly high levels of
education on assumption that knowledge-based skills and innovation are increasingly crucial for competitiveness;
– evidence that educated labour is more innovative and adaptable;– development of social and material educational infrastructure.
• Economic restructuring – global, sectoral, organisational– SO changing demand for skills and knowledge due to
• transformation of UK manufacturing from labour-based to knowledge-based (e.g. growth of science-based industries – chemicals, biotechnology, ICT (– depends on highly skilled and educated labour);
• growth and globalisation of market services.
• Impact of technology on information management and communication.
• Global concern with the eradication inequalities.
Previous research on graduate careers and outcomes
• Higher education choices gendered – in terms of subject choices and qualifications achieved
• Women benefit from degree financially more than men BUT• Graduate women are more likely to be in ‘non-graduate’ employment
than male peers and are less likely to be satisfied with career progression
• Gender pay gap – that widens as careers progress (from first job to outcomes 7 years on)
• Gendered graduate labour market – in terms of sectoral, occupational outcomes
• Living in partnerships and having children widens gender pay gap and impacts on career planning.
• Women value high earnings less and having work of social value more than men BUT similarities in career attitudes and expectations
• High-flying women make different choices, report reduced bargaining power than male peers
• Surprising incidence of women in early-mid-30s making career changes as a result of values (desire for generativity?) and for expediency in terms of accommodating family-building plans.
Males Females Asian Bangladeshi 64 58 Chinese 44 34 Indian 62 51 Pakistani 63 54 Other 67 53 Black African 76 66 Caribbean 72 57 Other 70 57 White 51 40 Mixed 56 48 Total 54 43
• How far are ‘vocational’ reasons related to actual or anticipated (gendered) caring roles?
• How far do attitudes and aspirations change as a result of HE participation and acquisition of skills and knowledge – and how does this differ according to subject and the gender balance of membership groups?
• How (and why) do gender outcomes differ during and beyond HE?
• Does the gender ‘confidence gap’ increase or shrink over the HE career?
• How far is numeracy competence related to a) self-confidence and b) career outcomes?
For further information on research discussed and related projects:
see www.warwick.ac.uk/go/glmf
www.hecsu.ac.uk
HECSU has developed a website primarily for Futuretrack members to provide information designed to encourage them to keep in touch with the project at:
www.futuretrack.ac.uk
Futuretrack methodological enquiries to the research team at