Gender inequality in the European labour market ISEG, Lisbon, 68th.September 2006

1
Gender (in)equality in the European labour
marketISEG, Lisbon, 6-8th.September 2006

• Portuguese Women in Science and Technology some
  gender features behind MSc. and PhD.
• Margarida Chagas Lopes

2
The State of the Art

• A subject on which much research has been
  developed both in Portugal and abroad
• A very rich research field in terms of
  multidisciplinarity (e.g. Sociology, Economics,
  Education, ..., Gender Studies)
• A thematic attracting a great deal of
  institutional research, data building and concern
  (e.g. EUROSTAT, OECD...)
• ...
• Nevertheless, most research does not allow for
  dynamics...

3
Education Patterns
4
The Portuguese Situation at a Glance (I)

• School Trajectories A)- Basic and Secondary
  Education
• Portuguese girls are performing better in
  Mathematics (Reading Literacy and Sc. Culture)
  and the gender gap by the age of 15 is weak a
  Portuguese Idiosyncrasy (cf. PISA 2003)
• But a still important gender bias is still
  noticeable for most technological Secondary
  Vocational Education (GIASE 2004-2005)

5
The Portuguese Situation at a Glance (II)

• School Trajectories B)- Higher Education
• Very high and increasing feminisation rates in a
  large number of Scientific fields, namely
  Mathematics and Statistics, Life Sciences,
  Physics...
• Rather weak female participation (cc. 1/3) in
  most Engineer domains...

6
(Likewise ...

• We must disaggregate between Science and
  Technology fields when investigating on
  Portuguese women education strategies (and
  occupation trajectories...) )

7
The Portuguese Situation at a Glance (III)

• School Trajectories C) - Post Graduation
  studies MSc. and PhD
• A very high feminisation rate among MSc. which
  becomes weaker for PhDs (67,4 against 56,
  2002, Eurostat), all fields included
• More women than men are not able to achieve the
  degree (e.g. PhD) within the institutional time
  interval ...

8
Occupational Structure
9
The Portuguese Situation at a Glance (IV)

• Portuguese ST Women Occupational Structure
• 56,4 from all Portuguese ST women were employed
  in HRSTE in 2004 (nevertheless, women are
  under-represented as teaching/research staff even
  in the fields where they outnumber men in
  graduation...HE as a very gendered space...)
• The second largest share about 1/3 worked for
  GOVernment laboratories and institutions...some
  58,6 in KIS, cf. EC 2006
• Only 32,3 in Economic Occupations (HRSTO)

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Behind Facts Several Research Approaches

• I) Reasons behind this gendered occupational
  bias a considerable ammount of research, several
  hipotheses (e.g. Amâncio e Ávila Ferreira
  Perista e Silva Falcão Casaca Reis...)
• II) Focus on the feature that most of the above
  highly feminised occupations require post
  graduation studies (e.g. MSc. and PhD) either as
  an applying and/or a career development mandatory
  demanding a pre-requisite to keep ones job...
• III) Therefore, investigating on differences in
  opportunities, main obstacles, success
  probabilities, occupational outcomes...between
  Portuguese women and men, with a special insight
  on time needed to achieve a given degree.

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Theoretical Approach

• Critically Assessing HKT, v.g. the overtaking
  year, homogeneity, educationproductivityemploym
  ent, education as a stock... assumptions...
• Proposing alternatively Life Cycle Theories, as
  in the Weiss model or the Hazard Analysis (we
  will deal with) as they allow for dynamics (time
  interdependence along trajectories),
  heterogeneity (e.g. individual characteristics),
  previous and initial conditions (e.g. graduation
  area, University), joint influence (multiple
  parameters)...
• H (tx) h0 (t) ex ß f(t) / S(t)

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About Data

• Life Cycle analysis requires data on individual
  longitudinal trajectories...
• STF Project TELOS II... 145 MSc. and PhD. in 4
  Portuguese Universities, 1995/96 2000/01, cc. 52
  women
• Survey main Blocks individual characteristics
  (e.g. age, sex) previous own education
  trajectory (ex. University) occupational
  situation prior/at the moment/as an outcome of
  the P-G. degree family characteristics
  (e.g.number of chidren) degree of self
  fulfilment with work and career prospects as a
  degree outcome...

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Contingency Analysis Results

• High Association Degrees for sex with
• graduation area,
• main reasons to undergo P-G,
• first or previous occupation/employment
  corresponding tenure (lower for women),
  unemployment spells /expectation
• husbands/wifes school level and occupation,
• degree of satisfaction with employment and career
  prospects as a consequence of P-G.,
• lack of support by family, e.g. for PhD,
• time required to complete MSc. /PhD...
• ...

14
Hazard Model Cox Regression Results
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Hazard Model Cox Regression Results

• More women than men needed 3 years or more
• ( moved into interval 3) to complete MSC.
• Womens time distribution seems to be bi-modal
  ... ? Conditional on further research
• Explaining Variables
• h0 perceived previous qualification and
  knowledge level wish to improve qualifications
• X (throughout ß values) situation towards labour
  market, upward mobility opportunities or lack of
  them, family income, family demandings
• Husbands/wifes variables n.s.m. will they
  impart here throughout other family variables...?

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Conclusions /Further Developments (1)

• Women in Science / Women in Technology research
  metodology
• Need to approach the existing gender bias in
  vocational education decision making in
  Education
• Despite education outcomes Portuguese scientist
  women still suffer from occupational segregation
  
• they are mostly ascribed occupations (GOV and HE)
  where career prospects and job stability and
  status are worse than for men in alike
  situations
• opposite to BES, these occupations require
  undergoing MSc. and PhD. as a mandatory
  pre-requisite
• most women (more than men...) also refer the wish
  to improve ones skills and knowledge as a
  leading reason behind P-G. undertaking...

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Conclusions /Further Developments (2)

• But...
• Some 12 more women than men had to take 3 or
  more years to achieve a Master
• P-Gs Curriculum organisation and time
  schedulling are frequently referred by women
  among the main institutional obstacles
• Occupational characteristics (e.g. first
  occupation nature and tenure) as well as career
  prospects and job instability also clearly
  distinguish between female and male P-G.
  strategies
• Family reasons (lack of support) are only
  referred by women among the main obstacles. This
  variable will probably encompass some mates
  variables (occupation, school level) which
  contingency analysis proved to be meaningful
• Most women, against a few men, expressed
  discomfort with job and career outcomes after the
  P-G., especially within academic career (cf.
  Gonzalez...)

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Conclusions /Further Developments (3)

• Suggestions for further research
• On the role played by motivation and wish to
  improve ones knowledge, a feature which seemed
  to clearly separate between women and men...
• On the eventual bi-modal nature of the womens
  time distribution
• On gender differences in occupation outcomes and
  career mobility post- P-G.
• ...