Success with qualifications: comparative perspectives on women graduates in the labour market

The growth in the number of women entering higher education is one of the educational success stories of the century. But there has so far been little research into the extent to which this growth has been matched by a comparable success in labour market outcomes for women graduates. This paper directs itself to issues arising in the relationship between higher education and early labour market experiences for women graduates using evidence from three European countries: Britain, Germany and Sweden. Information collected from recent graduate surveys, undertaken within similar frameworks and time spans, is compared within and across different subject fields and over time. It is shown that choice of subject of study is the major factor influencing labour market entry. Women continue academically to prepare themselves for careers within spheres of work traditionally seen as female and follow financially less rewarding career paths premised on assumptions about women's domestic roles. It is also shown to be the case that the few women who choose to follow traditionally male careers paths, though starting off in a more favourable labour market position than other women, still earn less than their male colleagues from within the same field, and over time lose some of their initial relative gains largely due to part-time work patterns. The differential significance of family formation for men and women is noted. The information is discussed in light of a changing labour market situation overall for women in Europe, and the need to understand women's employment patterns and career needs in a more long-term and gender oriented perspective.