Breaking the Mold or Reproducing Class? A Comparative Analysis of Gender-Atypical Field-of-Study Choices

Irene Michelin, University of Trento
Beatrice Caniglia , University of Trento
Anna Zamberlan, LMU

Despite the reversal of the gender gap in educational attainment, gender segregation in fields of study persists. To uncover the mechanisms underlying horizontal gender segregation in education, this study investigates the roles of gender and social origin in shaping field-of-study choices. To capture both institutional influences and temporal change, we examine a wide range of countries worldwide, exploring how the influence of gender and social origin differs across institutional contexts and cohorts, thus expanding beyond existing single-country studies. This contribution is also meant to exploit alternative classifications of fields of study that reflect both their gender composition and gendered economic returns. We rely on the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), drawing on representative data for 34 countries. Our methodological approach consists of multinomial logistic regression models. Our preliminary results show that, notwithstanding gender differences in the modal field, there are strong similarities in the ranking of social origin within fields across gender, even though the levels differ. Moreover, social origin appears to exert a strong influence on individual educational choices, with upper-class individuals often being more likely than their low and middle-class counterparts to enrol in gender atypical fields of study.

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 Presented in Session P3. Families, Fertility, and the Life Course 3