Effects of social economic status and parenting values on adolescents\u2019 expected field of study

Micha G Keijer

doi:10.1057/s41599-021-00992-7

Abstract

Field of study decisions are important for children’s future life chances, as significant differences exist in terms of financial and status benefits across fields of study. We examine whether the economic or the cultural status of the parents is more influential in shaping their children’s expectations about their future field of study. We also test whether children’s expectations about field of study choices are mediated by the child-rearing values that parents hold. Results show that parental economic status increased the likelihood of adolescents expecting to opt for extrinsic rewarding fields of study. Adolescent girls, not boys, with high cultural status parents were more likely to expect to opt for intrinsically rewarding fields of study. An upbringing that is characterized by conformity increased the expectations of boys to choose an extrinsically rewarding study, while self-direction increased the expectations of girls to opt for an extrinsic field of study

Highlights

A key question in studies on occupational choices of young adults is to what extent and in what ways their socioeconomic background influences their future life chances (Wicht and Ludwig-Mayerhofer, 2014; Howell et al, 1984; Blau and Duncan, 1967)
Hypothesis 1a stated that the higher the economic status of the parents, the more likely it would be that their children’s expect to opt for extrinsically rewarding fields of study, whereas hypothesis 1b suggested exactly the opposite
The effect of parents’ cultural status on the intrinsic/extrinsic scale were weaker for male than for female adolescents (Wald-test, p-value = 0.039), suggesting that parents’ cultural status has a stronger effect on the field-of-study choices of girls than of boys

Summary

Introduction

A key question in studies on occupational choices of young adults is to what extent and in what ways their socioeconomic background influences their future life chances (Wicht and Ludwig-Mayerhofer, 2014; Howell et al, 1984; Blau and Duncan, 1967). As educational attainment is usually viewed as a prerequisite for occupational success, much research has focused on how parental socio-economic status (SES) influences educational attainment processes (Parsons and Halsey, 2014; Sewell, Haller and Portes, 1969). In these studies, attention has mostly focused on the influence of parental SES on the level of education that their children attain (Bornstein and Bradley, 2014; Fehrmann et al, 1987). It is often assumed that children of parents who have a relatively low SES are more likely to view their field-of-study choices as ‘instrumental’ (Davies and Guppy, 1997), implying that the most important goal of studying is to gain extrinsic rewards, i.e., a well-paid job. Children of parents with a relatively high SES are assumed to place more value on intrinsic aspects of fields of study, such as their potential for self-development (Johnson et al, 2007; Johnson and Mortimer, 2011)

Methods

Results

Conclusion