esrc gender equality network genet project 2: biographical agency and developmental outcomes ingrid...
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ESRC Gender Equality Network GeNet
Project 2: Biographical Agency and Developmental Outcomes
Ingrid Schoon, Andy Ross, Peter Martin, and Steven HopeCity University, London
ESRC Gender Network Conference, Cambridge, 14 December 2006
Biographical Agency
• Refers to the relationship between social structure, individual aspirations, and development
• At transition points in the life course individuals are required to act with awareness regarding alternatives and make decisions about the future based on previous experiences
• The resulting decisions are representative of social contexts, opportunities, and role expectations
(Walter Heinz, 2002)
Aims of the projectUsing longitudinal data this project aims to:• Investigate changes in aspirations and life plans of men
and women growing up in different socio-historical contexts
• Examine gender differences in aspirations for the future• Investigate gender differences in factors shaping the
formation of individual life plans• Document and classify gender-specific differences in the
transition from adolescence to adulthood, taking into account linked outcomes in education, training, work, and family formation
• Analyse to what extent adult attainments are influenced by personal agency, gender, the socio-historical context, and by the interaction of both
Changes in teenage aspirations
- education - occupation
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Leave school at 16 Post 16 educationand training
Post 18 education
Per
cen
tages
NCDS menNCDS womenBCS70 menBCS70 women
Teenage Educational Aspirations in NCDS and BCS70
Schoon, 2006
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Leave school at 16 Post 16 educationand training
Post 18 education
Per
cen
tages
NCDS sonsNCDS daughtersBCS70 sonsBCS70 daughters
Parental Educational Aspirations in NCDS and BCS70
Schoon, 2006
0
10
20
30
40
Per
cent
ages
NCDS men
BCS70 men
NCDS women
BCS70 women
Teenage Occupational Aspirations in NCDS and BCS70
Schoon, 2006
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Low Risk Medium Risk High Risk
Social Risk Index in early Childhood
% m
an/p
rof j
ob
in a
du
ltho
od
NCDS - professional job
BCS70 - professional job
NCDS- further education
BCS70 - further education
The Aspiration Gradient:Teenage aspirations by early social risk
Gender Differences in ability self-concepts and values
• Gender Roles
• Cultural Stereotypes
• Socialisation Pressures
Ability Self Concepts (NCDS age 16)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Maths English Science
Boys Girls Girls (single sex)
Self rating: % above average abilitySee also: Schoon et al. (forthcoming): Equal Opportunities International
Teacher’s Ability Concepts (NCDS age 16)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Maths English Science
Boys Girls Girls (single sex)
Teacher rating: % above average ability
Gendered Choices(NCDS at age 16)
Most important thing about a job
Male Female
Involves variety 19% 25%
Well paid work 24% 17%
Helping others 4% 20%
Schoon, Ross, Martin (paper presented at the ESRC science week, Cambridge, March 2006)
Gendered Choices(BCS70 at age 16)
Most important thing about a job
Male Female
Involves variety 68% 73%
Well paid work 52% 30%
Helping others 36% 52%
Schoon, Ross, Martin (paper presented at the ESRC science week, Cambridge, March 2006)
Gender differences in career transitions
Evidence from two British Birth Cohorts
Developmental-Contextual model of career development
• Aims to uncover processes by which families and the larger societal context influence individual commitment and pursuit of a career
• Examines multiple pathways shaping career development in men and women
• Replication of model in two birth cohorts• Testing for gender and cohort differences in pathway
coefficients
Developmental-Contextual Model of Career Development
Birth
Age 16
Age 30/33
Parental Social Class
Material Hardship
Parental Educational Expectations
School Motivation
Job aspirations Exam Score
Age at first birth
Own occupational status
Family background
Individual agency factors
Parenthood histories
Adult occupational attainment
Proximal family
environment
Schoon, Martin, Ross (in press), JVB
Findings
• Persisting influence of social origin on occupational opportunities and life chances
• Influence of social background is mediated via socialisation experiences in the family
• Transition specific parent-child interactions foster more adaptive outcomes
• Career development takes place within a life planning framework
• Men and women becoming parents early are at risk for adverse outcomes regarding education and employment
• For women the roles as mother and worker are interdependent and in conflict, while for men these roles are more independent and easier to combine
Gendered Careers
Careers in Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET)
Contextual-developmental model of career development
Family Background
Personal assets
School experiences
Career choice
Adult Occupation
al Status
Birth Childhood Adolescence AdulthoodSchoon et al., (forthcoming). Equal Opportunities International
SET aspirations at age 16 and SET occupations in early 30’s
0
5
10
15
20
SET aspiration SET occupation
SET aspiration 17.2 13.5 7.4 5.4
SET occupation 11.1 9.4 3.1 2.7
BCS70 men NCDS menBCS70 women
NCDS women
Schoon et al., (forthcoming). Equal Opportunities International
Predictors of career development
Focus on science-related occupations
Family background• Parental social class
• Parental education
• Parental expectations regarding further education
• Mother’s employment
Personal Assets• Reading at 11 and 16
• Maths at 11 and 16
• Self rated math ability
• School motivation
School experience• Nr of science related subjects
• Teacher’s general ability rating
• Teacher rating of math ability
• School type
• Single sex school
Career Choice• Educational plans• Job aspirations
Predicting entry into a science-related career
• Aspirations in adolescence vital predictor → Interest and attachment to a science-related
career are formed early in life
• School experiences are crucial in attracting young people to a career in science: Teacher’s maths ratings Number of science subjects entered
• School environment can compensate for family disadvantage and lack of opportunities
Summary• Persisting gender and social differences in
occupational choice and career development• Gender cannot be seen in isolation from other
facets of identity, such as social origin or social change
• Aspirations and transitions are not individualised choices, but remain circumscribed by gender, social background, and the wider socio-historical context
• Timing is a crucial aspect in the planning-performance-outcome sequence
Conclusion
• The role of contextual factors in determining transitions calls for improved opportunity structures and support systems:– support for parents experiencing hardship– improved school environment, in particular
teacher-pupil interactions– arrangements to facilitate combination of
multiple social roles
References
• Schoon, I. (2006). Risk and Resilience: Adaptations to changing times. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
• Schoon, I. , Martin, P. & Ross, A. (in press). Gender differences in transition pathways and adult attainments in work and family roles. Evidence from two British Birth Cohorts. Journal of Vocational Behaviour
• Schoon, I. (in press). Adaptations to changing times. Evidence from two British Birth Cohorts. International Journal of Psychology
• Schoon, I. (forthcoming). Life chances and opportunities in times of social change: Evidence from two British Birth Cohorts. In: Silbereisen, R.K. & Lerner, R.M (Eds.). Approaches to positive Youth Development. London: Sage
• Schoon, I., Ross, A. & Martin, P. (forthcoming). Science related careers: Aspirations and outcomes in two British Birth Cohorts. Equal Opportunities International
