Presentation to Diversity and Global Education Conference Gendered Career Aspiration among students in Norwegian Upper Secondary Schools Presentation to Diversity and Global Education Conference April 25-26 Helsinki Lihong Huang Lihong.huang@nova.no

Background Norway ranks the first of the world in Human Development Index of the United Nations. Norway displays a very low level of inequality compared to other western societies. Norway has achieved relative gender equality measured by Gender Gap Index of the United Nation

In education Girls do better than boys in schools. More women than men study at tertiary level of education in Norway female students make up 65 per cent at Bachelor degree studies, 50 per cent of students at Master Degree studies but women are underrepresented at the highest level of education (i.e. doctoral studies)

In labour market Women make up to almost half of Norwegian active labour force. more women work at public sector and more in typical female professions like teachers in schools, nurses, cleaners and secretaries while more men work at private sector and in typical male professions like craftsmen, construction workers, drivers and engineers. There is a persistent gender gap in payment as women’s monthly earnings amount to 84 per cent of men’s earnings (Statistics Norway, 2006)

Theories the level of segregation by gender vis-à-vis individual career aspirations reflects the level of gender segregation in the labor market. Career aspirations influence pursuit of educational and occupational opportunities Career aspirations are viewed as a reflection of self-efficacy and important mediators of motivation and career development. Career aspirations are shown to reflect the effects of bias and discrimination, social attitudes, cultural expectations, and stereotypes based on gender, race or socio-economic status

Factors influencing career aspirations Parental education and occupation, family economy, the intensity of parents’ educational pressure, stress or encouragement and family size are the few determinants of career aspirations. Gender, ethnicity, social environment, student’s study major, and cost and financing methods of study are found to have impact on student career aspirations.

Data A national questionnaire survey conducted in Norwegian secondary schools (including lower secondary and upper secondary levels) in February 2002, namely ‘Young in Norway 2002’ (Ung i Norge 2002). Exactly 12,000 students were randomly selected from 73 secondary schools to answer the questionnaire and the response rate was 92.3 per cent. Among the respondents, 5,564 were in upper secondary schools and 52 per cent of them are female, which will be analyzed in this study.

General characteristics of the students 50% students are taking the academic path which leads to university entrance in the future and 50% students are in vocational paths that lead to professional certificates in working sectors such as construction, chemistry, technician, forest, service, health caring, music and others. Gender disparity: there are slightly more female students in academic path and more male students in vocational path.

More characteristics 59% of the whole group plan to pursue higher education in the future while 41% of the students do not plan for education beyond upper secondary level. Almost half of the male students do not plan for tertiary education, 66% of the female students plan to do so.

Dropout risk group 20% of the students would exit school right away if there is a job offer. Among them, more male students than female students, more from vocational path than academic path.

Very little difference in background factors Parents with tertiary and above education Both parents working are immigrants own the living place Female students No. cases 2,869 46.3 70.2 5.9 93.4 Male students No. cases 2,668 47.5 73.3 5.4 94.9

The Most important considerations and preferences for a future job Category/ Value orientation Response items Female students Male students Mean s.d. 1.Utility/ Money, status Jobs that give prestige and high status 2.8 1.1 3.2 Jobs that give good salary 3.7 0.9 4.0 Jobs that give good possibilities to become leaders 2.7 1.2 3.1 2.Intrinsic/ attainment Jobs that allows me using my own special talent 4.2 0.8 Jobs that allow me using my fantasy and creativity 3.6 3.4 Jobs that are creative and idea-rich 3.8 1.0 3.Social/ humanity Jobs that are socially meaningful 3.3 Jobs that I can do something for the others 3.9 Jobs that I can work with people 4. Safe/ security Jobs that do not have much difficult things to learn 2.6 Jobs that I can have a lot free time 3.0 Jobs that are not too stressful Jobs that are least possible to become unemployed 4.1

Little gender differences in career value orientation jobs with intrinsic values have the highest mean scores in both groups, followed by the social meaning and safety values of the jobs. Gender differences are evident in utility values where female students score relatively lower than male students, and in intrinsic and social values where female students have higher means than male students.

Perceptions of social barriers in career path Response items Female students Male students Mn. Md. Mo. Mn Whether your parents have long or short education 0.9 1.1 1 Whether your parents have much or little money 1.6 2 1.7 Whether your parents are immigrants or born in Norway 1.8 2.1 Whether you are a boy or a girl Whether you grow up in big city or a small village Whether that person’s parents have long or short education 1.2 1.3 Whether that person’s parents have much or little money Whether that person’s parents are immigrants or born in Norway 2.0 Whether that person is a boy or a girl Whether that person grows up in big city or a small village

What influences career aspirations in Norway Norwegian students generally are modestly aware of potential social barriers derived from their background in their career development path. Parents’ education is considered by the students the least important in determining their career development while ethnicity is the most significant among those background factors. How do the factors work in reality?....

The hypothesized analytical framework School effect Home background Personal characteristic Career aspiration Community environment

Intermediating variables Results: Independent variables Intermediating variables Dependent variables Study subject Academic achievement Perceived social barrier Prestige aspiration Intrinsic aspiration Boy Girl Home social status 0.43 0.45 0.38 0.19 0.27 -0.16 --- 0.09 0.15 Home economic status 0.07 0.11 0.18 0.14 Student age 0.10 -0.11 0.08 Ethnicity 0.05 0.29 0.12 0.13 Home community -0.19 -0.09 -0.13 Educational path -0.32 Academic achievement -0.07 -0.08 0.06 Perceived social barrier 0.23 R2 0.22 0.24 0.20

1 PATH 1 HSOC 2 ACHIEV 2 HECO 2 BARRIER 3 PRESTI 3 COM 4 IMM 4 INTRIN 5 AGE

Conclusions Parental educational attainment, perceived by the students to be the least important factor in their career development, has a very strong influence on student choice of study path, which is the strongest determinant of student career and exerts a strong influence on student career aspiration.

Female students appear to have to give up chasing the intrinsic values of their career aspiration and to be realistic with the utility values of their career, especially for girls with immigrant backgrounds. While good results at school leads male students slightly away from utility values and towards the intrinsic values of their career aspiration, awareness of the social barriers to their career development makes male students seemingly more practical in pursuing the utility values of a future job.

We do not know the input of the students psychological themselves at the point of choosing a study path upon entrance to upper secondary school but we do know that this choice does not work well for some students, especially girls. it is clear that parents are one of the most important factors in the decision making process. student age has very little to do in their career choice at this stage.

Reference: ‘Gender segregation in student career aspirations in Norwegian upper secondary schools’ (in reviewing 2008). In D.P. Baker and A.W. Wiseman (eds). Gender, equality, and education from international and comparative perspectives. Oxford: Elsevier Science Ltd. Thank you for your attention!