A bimonthly publication of AQU Catalunya

60

May 2012

AQU Catalunya has published GÈNERE I INSERCIÓ LABORAL. DONES I HOMES DEU ANYS DESPRÉS DE GRADUAR-SE. IGUALS O DIFERENTS? (Gender and graduate labour market outcomes). This study, which was made possible through the support of the Institut Català de les Dones, analyses the job situation of a sample of the graduate population ten years after graduation. A sample of six sub-areas (subjects) in five disciplines were taken, given that the bibliography shows that the subject (area of study) taken at university has an important influence on the type and quality of employment gained on entering the labour market. Degree courses with a sufficient number of graduates and where the proportion of males and females was similar were chosen in each discipline in order to allow for statistical testing according to gender.

As in the 2008 study entitled GENDER AND THE LABOUR MARKET OUTCOMES OF THE UNIVERSITY POPULATION IN CATALONIA, on the graduate population three after completing their studies, the results show that the degree course taken has more influence on the indicators for career success than gender. This means that the differences within either the female group or male group according to the degree taken was greater than between males and females in the same degree taken (employment, unemployment, stability, short-term contract, public or private sector employment, match rate, satisfaction, etc.).

While the degree course taken does have an influence on the probabilities of success, both surveys (2008 and 2011) have confirmed that there is a percentage of graduates in degree courses that have less favourable outcomes on average who are more successful than graduates in degrees that apparently have better employment prospects, i.e. the degree course taken has an influence, although it does not determine job quality.