Zitatform

Lundberg, Ian, Daniel Molitor & Jennie E. Brand (2025): The Causal Effect of Parent Occupation on Child Occupation: A Multivalued Treatment with Positivity Constraints. In: Sociological methods & research, Jg. 54, H. 4, S. 1435-1462. DOI:10.1177/00491241251338412

Abstract

"To what degree does parent occupation cause a child’s occupational attainment? We articulate this causal question in the potential outcomes framework. Empirically, we show that adjustment for only two confounding variables substantially reduces the estimated association between parent and child occupation in a U.S. cohort. Methodologically, we highlight complications that arise when the treatment variable (parent occupation) can take many categorical values. A central methodological hurdle is positivity: some occupations (e.g., lawyer) are simply never held by some parents (e.g., those who did not complete college). We show how to overcome this hurdle by reporting summaries within subgroups that focus attention on the causal quantities that can be credibly estimated. Future research should build on the longstanding tradition of descriptive mobility research to answer causal questions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Mann, Anthony, Jonathan Diaz & Sara Zapata Posada (2025): Career readiness in Madrid, Spain. Insights from a survey of young adults (19-26). (OECD education working papers 331), Paris, 230 S. DOI:10.1787/73cdc17d-en

Abstract

"This paper reports the results of a survey of young adults aged 19-26 who were educated in the Community of Madrid, Spain. The study asks users of career guidance systems within secondary education to share perspectives on their usefulness from the vantage point of the labour market participation. The study finds that overwhelmingly respondents who participated in career development activities as teenagers found them to be useful to their post-secondary transitions with many stating that they were very useful. They wished however that they had received more support from their schools, especially with regard to practical activities related to integration into the working world. Analysis finds many strong relationships between participation in career development and the quality of transitions. It is less likely for young adults who engaged more deeply in career development as teenagers to report that they were Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) at the time of the survey and they expressed more positive attitudes about their transitions and the value of the support received from their schools." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Petzold-Rudolph, Kathrin, Marion Pohl, Christian Steib & Dina Kuhlee (2025): Attraktivität beruflicher Aus-, Fort- und Weiterbildung aus der Perspektive von jungen Menschen mit und ohne Hochschulzugangsberechtigung. Befunde im Kontext der Programminitiative InnoVET. In: Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik - online H. 48, S. 1-26.

Abstract

"Die InnoVET-Programminitiative des BMBF förderte von 2021-2024 insgesamt 17 Verbundprojekte mit dem Ziel, die Attraktivität beruflicher Bildung insbesondere für leistungsstarke junge Menschen durch die Entwicklung innovativer beruflicher Bildungsformate v. a. im Bereich der Fort- und Weiterbildung zu stärken. Basierend auf empirischen Befunden einer Fragebogenerhebung der InnoVET-Begleitforschung diskutiert der Beitrag Attraktivitätsparameter, welche die Entscheidung für einen beruflichen Ausbildungs- und Karriereweg von Auszubildenden mit und ohne Hochschulzugangsberechtigung beeinflusst haben und wie die Auszubildenden die neukonzipierten Fortbildungsformate der InnoVET-Projekte hinsichtlich ihrer Attraktivität bewerten. Es zeigt sich, dass bei den Befragten ein hoher Bedarf an Informationen über berufliche Bildungswege existiert und für die Bildungswegentscheidung teils unterschiedliche Attraktivitätsparameter ausschlaggebend sind. Auch schreiben die Auszubildenden beruflichen Fort- und Weiterbildungen generell eine hohe Bedeutung zu, differenzieren allerdings deutlich hinsichtlich deren konzeptioneller Ausgestaltung. Die Befunde werden kritisch in den Forschungsstand eingeordnet und mit Blick auf die Zielstellungen der InnoVET-Programminitiative reflektiert." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Quintana, Rafael, Soojin Park & Suyeon Kang (2025): Causal decomposition analysis in disparities research: investigating the effect of self-efficacy on the gender gap in STEM. In: Quality & quantity, Jg. 59, H. 4, S. 3327-3351. DOI:10.1007/s11135-025-02110-0

Abstract

"The underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields has been a subject of extensive research and policy debate. However, there is limited clarity regarding the specific mechanisms that generate these disparities, and which interventions are most effective in reducing the gap. In this study, we use causal decomposition analysis to estimate how the gender gap in STEM participation would change if we were to intervene on women’s self-efficacy beliefs in mathematics. Women tend to underestimate their abilities in math-related fields, which can affect their educational and career choices. The question we ask is to what extent the gender gap in individuals’ enrollment in STEM majors and identification with mathematics would be reduced if self-efficacy in mathematics were set to be equal across gender categories. The results suggest that equalizing this target factor will reduce the observed disparities in math identity by 53%, and in the enrollment of STEM majors by 2.5%. The modest influence of self-efficacy on enrollment disparities suggests that it is not the predominant factor. We discuss the implications of our empirical findings, as well as how causal decomposition analysis can benefit social and behavioral disparities research." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

Zitatform

Rolph, Chris, Samuel Williams & David Woolley (2025): A qualitative investigation into opportunity structures and disjuncture in the education-employment transition: ‘it’s scary, innit?’. In: Journal of education and work, Jg. 37, H. 7/8, S. 582-597. DOI:10.1080/13639080.2025.2487425

Abstract

"We present a small-scale qualitative study of the transition from full time education to employment, focusing on young people who are just approaching this phase of their lives. We explore their understanding of this milestone through a series of focus groups. We also interviewed significant professionals working with young people: school teachers, careers leaders, and local employers. From the responses we identify four common themes: hopes and dreams; careers advice; industry links; and work readiness. While these themes were common to all of our participant groups, the articulation and understanding of them differed, such that adult views contribute to social structures that potentially reduce opportunity, reinforcing the sense of disjuncture for young people. Adult respondents underestimated the aspirations of young people and mistook expectations for ambitions. Both employers and those working in schools recognised a need for improved education-industry links, but there was a mutual sense of incapacity to make this happen, and different understandings of what it might mean to be work ready. Systemic failings appear to exacerbate difficulties faced by children whose families might struggle to support them as they navigate the education to employment transition." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

"This report sets out key findings from PISA as they relate to teenage career development. The report shows that across OECD countries, students are now expressing very high levels of career uncertainty and confusion. Job expectations have changed little since 2000 and bear little relationship to actual patterns of labour market demand, including in working areas of high strategic importance. The education plans of students moreover are more strongly shaped by social background than by academic performance. Many students understandably exhibit considerable anxiety about their career preparation. Wider longitudinal research shows that participation in many career development activities is positively associated with better employment outcomes. However, PISA shows that too few students in most countries are engaging in activities which are most strongly related with better transitions. In particular, young people are not getting enough guidance in crucial fields which connect them with employers and people in work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Schneck, Stefan (2025): The Origins of Entrepreneurship: How Parental Role Models and Socialization Shape Later Entrepreneurial Intentions. (SOEPpapers on multidisciplinary panel data research at DIW Berlin 1233), Berlin, 34 S.

Abstract

"This exploratory study examines the effects of parental socialization and parental role models at ages 7 to 10 on the entrepreneurial intentions of their children in adolescence. Analysis of German household data and more than 1,400 observations shows a moderation effect between parental role models and socialization. An adolescent's willingness to become self-employed in the future is influenced by parental role models and moderated by parental child-rearing practices related to risk-taking during childhood. While child-rearing practices not focused on risk-avoidance reinforce the parental role model effect and increase an adolescent's intentions to become self-employed, parental child-rearing practices geared toward risk aversion nullify any positive effects of having self-employed parents as role models. Parental socialization during childhood thus casts a long-term shadow and may explain why some children with self-employed parents have as little intention of becoming self-employed as children of employees. Early parental socialization practices may, thus, contribute to explaining the lack of willing entrepreneurs and family business successors." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Seufert, Sabine, Mandana York, Patrick Emmenegger & Scherwin Michael Bajka (2025): Zukunft der Arbeit. Geschlechtervergleich in der Berufsorientierung im Zeitalter der Künstlichen Intelligenz. Gender Comparison in Career Orientation in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. In: Zeitschrift für Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik, Jg. 121, H. 1, S. 57-79. DOI:10.25162/zbw-2025-0002

Abstract

"Dieser Beitrag untersucht, wie Jugendliche ihre berufliche Zukunft in einer zunehmend von KI geprägten Welt einschätzen und welche geschlechtsspezifischen Unterschiede bestehen. In einer Online-Umfrage (N = 2144) in der Schweiz bewerteten Jugendliche auf der Sekundarstufe I ihr AI Empowerment. Anhand eines Vignettenexperiments wurde der Einfluss von Augmentationsstrategien auf die Wahrnehmung von IKT-Berufen untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Mädchen sich im Umgang mit KI weniger befähigt fühlen als Jungen. Dialogorientierte Augmentationsstrategien könnten dazu beitragen, KI-Berufe für junge Frauen attraktiver zu machen. Bildungseinrichtungen und Unternehmen könnten hier ansetzen und eine zukunftsorientierte Grundhaltung fördern, um Jugendliche für die Zusammenarbeit mit KI zu stärken." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Sigurdsson, Jósef & John Kramer (2025): It Runs in the Family: Occupational Choice and the Allocation of Talent. (CEPR discussion paper / Centre for Economic Policy Research 20099), London, 25 S.

Abstract

"Children tend to choose the same occupations as their parents. We examine the implications of this tendency for talent allocation and intergenerational mobility. Using Swedish data on skills and personality traits, we estimate a general equilibrium Roy model with unequal occupational access depending on parental background. Equalizing access halves occupational following and increases intergenerational earnings mobility by a third, benefiting low-income sons most. Exploiting long-run declines in fathers’ occupations, we find that reduced following improves sons ’ skill-matching and raises earnings, aligning with our model. Our results suggest that facilitating more occupational mobility would increase intergenerational income mobility without reducing output." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Uunk, Wilfred (2025): Can Gender Stereotypes Explain the Gender‐Equality Paradox? A Reassessment. In: Sociology Compass, Jg. 19, H. 10. DOI:10.1111/soc4.70117

Abstract

"The social science literature surprisingly found that gender differences in the choice of and preference for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) study majors are larger in more gender-equal and affluent countries. This phenomenon is known as the Gender-Equality Paradox (GEP). Some scholars attributed GEP regarding students' mathematics intentions entirely to gender stereotypes, particularly the stereotype that “math is not for girls”. In this study, I reassess the finding that gender stereotypes can explain GEP because (a) the stereotype measure was not independently assessed from the prime respondents, overestimating the stereotype effect, (b) gender-STEM stereotypes may not associate with gender equality and societal affluence, and (c) the effect of gender-STEM stereotypes on gendered mathematics intentions may decrease with societal affluence. Multilevel analyses of data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 support my suggestions. A measure of gender-science stereotypes independently assessed from PISA—the Implicit Association Test—cannot satisfactorily account for GEP regarding students' mathematics intentions. The reasons are a weak association between gender-science stereotypes and societal affluence/gender equality, an only partially significant effect of these stereotypes on the gender gap in mathematics intentions, and a normative effect that decreases with societal affluence. Therefore, GEP remains a puzzling issue that warrants further investigation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Wolter, Stefan C. & Thea S. Zöllner (2025): Are parents an obstacle to gender-atypical occupational choices? In: Journal of Population Economics, Jg. 38, H. 4. DOI:10.1007/s00148-025-01121-3

Abstract

"Despite numerous measures intended to enhance gender equality, gender-specific study and career choices remain a persistent concern for policymakers and academics globally. We contribute to the literature on gendered career choices by focusing on explicitly stated parental preferences for their children’s occupations, using a large-scale randomized survey experiment with 5940 adults in Switzerland. Adolescents consistently name their parents as the most influential factor in career decisions, motivating the focus on parents (and hypothetical parents). In the experiment, respondents are presented with a realistic choice scenario in which they must advise on two proposed apprenticeships for their hypothetical daughter or son. The experiment randomly selects the occupations from 105 pairs, without disclosing their gender distribution. Results show that adults are gender neutral when advising a daughter but have a pronounced preference for male-dominated occupations when advising sons. The latter are found across all ages of adults and for parents and non-parents." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

de Koning, Bart K., Didier Fouarge & Robert Dur (2025): Correcting Beliefs About Job Opportunities and Wages: A Field Experiment on Education Choices. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 17951), Bonn, 72 S.

Abstract

"We run a field experiment in which we provide information to students about job opportunities and hourly wages of occupations they are interested in. The experiment takes place within a widely-used career orientation program in the Netherlands, and involves 28,186 pre-vocational secondary education students in 243 schools over two years. The information improves the accuracy of students' beliefs and leads them to change their preferred occupation to one with better labor market prospects. Administrative data that covers up to four years after the experiment shows that students choose (and remain in) post-secondary education programs with better job opportunities and higher hourly wages as a result of the information treatment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Anger, Silke, Sarah Bernhard, Hans Dietrich, Felix Knau, Adrian Lerche, Alexander Patzina, Malte Sandner & Carina Toussaint (2024): Welche Erwartungen Abiturient*innen mit einem Studium oder einer Berufsausbildung verbinden (Serie "Berufsorientierung Jugendlicher"). In: IAB-Forum H. 03.09.2024, 2024-09-02. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20240903.01

Abstract

"Nach dem Abitur eröffnen sich jungen Menschen alle weiterführenden Bildungswege. Neben der Wahl der Fachrichtung steht die Entscheidung zwischen Studium oder Berufsausbildung im Vordergrund. Hier geht es neben persönlichen Interessen und Fähigkeiten um die Erwartungen der Abiturient*innen hinsichtlich der Aussichten auf dem Arbeitsmarkt und in Bezug auf die Arbeitsbedingungen nach einem Studium oder einer Ausbildung. Diese Erwartungen unterscheiden sich je nachdem, ob sie eher zu einem Studium oder einer Ausbildung tendieren." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Anger, Silke, Bernhard Christoph, Agata Danuta Galkiewicz, Tobias Hörl, Shushanik Margaryan, Milan Maushart, Frauke Peter, Malte Sandner & Thomas Siedler (2024): Berufliche Pläne von Haupt- und Realschüler*innen: Der Anteil der Unentschlossenen steigt. In: IAB-Forum H. 24.09.2024 Nürnberg, 2024-09-12. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20240924.01

Abstract

"Der Anteil der Jugendlichen, die sich sicher sind, eine Ausbildung absolvieren zu wollen, sinkt zusehends. Zuletzt traf dies nur noch auf 42 Prozent der befragten Hauptschüler*innen und auf 37 Prozent der Realschüler*innen in den jeweiligen Abschlussklassen zu.." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Choi, Koangsung, Francesco Renna & Chung Choe (2024): The impact of field of study on the gender wage gap: evidence from the first job offer out of college. In: Applied Economics, Jg. 56, H. 53, S. 6713-6729. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2023.2276078

Abstract

"Using a sample of recently graduated college students from South Korea, we estimate the effects of the between-majors and within-major gender wage gap. We use a recentered influence function to decompose the wage differential between majors and find that women face a higher rate of return to the field of study. In addition, women tend to select their program of study with the intention of optimizing their earnings potential relative to men. In calculating the within-major gender wage gap, we control for selectivity into a field of study extending the current methodology to a multinomial logit setting. We test our model using a sample of new graduates from South Korea. We consider six college majors. The within-major wage differential ranged from 8.2% for natural science graduates to 17% for social science graduates. After selection is accounted for, the gender wage gap becomes smaller in humanities graduates but increases in natural science and medicine graduates. Decomposing the selection correction term into explained and unexplained factors eliminates discrimination in medicine and points to reverse discrimination in natural science." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Christoph, Bernhard, Heike Spangenberg & Heiko Quast (2024): Tertiary Education, Changing One's Educational Decision and the Role of Parental Preferences. In: Research in Higher Education, Jg. 65, H. 2, S. 283-302., 2023-08-08. DOI:10.1007/s11162-023-09752-9

Abstract

"Unequal access to university and the decision processes that give rise to it are important factors in the accumulation of educational inequalities. In this paper, we investigate a specific aspect of such decision processes by focusing on those students who change their original plans to start a (nontertiary) vocational education and decide to pursue a tertiary degree instead. In doing so, we find that more than one-fifth of the students in our sample who originally planned to pursue a vocational education change their original decision in this way. Moreover, while students from a more advantaged background are more likely to go to university in the first place, those among them that initially opted for a vocational education are also more likely to change their decision and go to university instead. We also find that parental preferences for tertiary education play an important role in the process of changing one’s mind, even for adult children. Moreover, we find that differential parental preferences contribute to both the emergence of social background effects and - as a result - the perpetuation of educational inequalities." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer) ((en))

Zitatform

Hell, Stefan, Duncan Roth, Holger Seibert & Gabriele Wydra-Somaggio (2024): Die duale Berufsausbildung im Handwerk: Immer mehr junge Menschen bleiben ihrem erlernten Beruf treu. (IAB-Kurzbericht 18/2024), Nürnberg, 8 S. DOI:10.48720/IAB.KB.2418

Abstract

"Vielen Betrieben in Deutschland fällt es aktuell schwer, ihren Fachkräftebedarf zu decken. Zur Sicherung dieser Bedarfe spielt die duale Berufsausbildung eine zentrale Rolle. Doch selbst wenn ein Betrieb ausbildet, bedeutet dies nicht zwangsläufig, dass die Absolvent*innen in ihrem Ausbildungsbetrieb oder -beruf verbleiben. Dieser Kurzbericht widmet sich der Entwicklung der Ausbildung im Handwerk sowie der Betriebs- und Berufstreue von Absolvent*innen in diesem Bereich." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Herdman, Paul, Anthony Mann, Alison Burke & Patrick Signoret (2024): Innovation in career pathways across five countries. (OECD education working papers 320), Paris, 87 S. DOI:10.1787/742bcd05-en

Abstract

"Since the Great Financial Crisis (2007–08) many countries have explored how education systems can better prepare students for their working lives in order to reduce youth unemployment and enhance educational engagement and achievement. This paper focuses on Career Pathways, learning programmes delivered in general secondary education that allow students to undertake a deep exploration of a vocational field of interest while keeping their options for the future open. In a first-of-its-kind analysis and building on understanding of historic provision, the study considers innovation in programme development in five predominantly Anglophone countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Scotland and the United States) since 2010. While historically participation in Career Pathways has been strongly associated with better employment outcomes for learners, evaluations have highlighted important challenges to their delivery at scale for the full range of learners. This paper reviews a range of responses to historic challenges based on study visits to five countries and closes with policy recommendations for future enhancement of provision." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Huttunen, Kristiina & Krista Riukula (2024): Parental job loss and children’s career choices. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 90. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2024.102578

Abstract

"We examine how shocks to parents’ careers affect the children’s educational choices and career outcomes. Using Finnish administrative data, we find that a father’s job loss decreases the likelihood of a child choosing the father’s study field. Children of displaced fathers have lower earnings and are more likely to choose study fields with lower predicted earnings; however, we find no effects on the outcomes measured before study choices are made, such as school grades, inactivity and juvenile delinquency. The results suggest that labor market shocks can carry over to the next generation through children’s career choices." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Elsevier) ((en))

Zitatform

Hägglund, Anna Erika (2024): Same degrees, different outcomes? Fields of study choices and gender wage inequality in Finland and Germany. In: Social science research, Jg. 122. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2024.103029

Abstract

"Men and women's diverging fields of study choices contribute to the gender wage gap among highly educated workers in several countries, yet systematic cross-national comparisons are rare. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study, the German Microcensus, and Statistics Finland this study explores whether fields of study shape the gender wage gap differently in Germany than in Finland; two countries that display strong linkages between education and employment, but differ in the generosity of family policies. The results show that fields of study are an important source of gender wage disparities in both countries. In Germany, associations between characteristics of fields and wages do not seem to differ between the genders. In Finland, the findings suggest that women profit more than men from fields with strong linkages to occupations. Our findings highlight that research analyzing the association between fields of study and gender inequality needs to consider institutional features and gender-specific patterns." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Elsevier) ((en))