How Gender and Economic, Cultural and Social Capital Influence Educational Decisions of Students in the Croatian Context?

Abstract

The research presented in this chapter focusses on exploring gender differences regarding the access to higher education (HE) and the secondary students’ choice of type of HE institution. The questionnaire was administered to 1814 secondary school students in Croatia in 2014/2015, with an average age of 19. The research draws on Bourdieu’s theory of cultural, economic and social capital with the integration of students’ opinion on HE institutions and gender perspective. Hierarchical regression analyses indicate that the students’ gender intersects with the cultural capital and the students’ opinion on HE institutions in shaping their decision to attend HE and their choice of type of HE institution. Differences in the structure of cultural capital of male and female students’ that influence choice of HE institution point to its stereotypical nature. Furthermore, female students are more concerned than male students about whether their choice of study is appropriate for their gender, while for male students the prestige of higher education institutions is more important.