Higher Educated Men Research Articles

Socioeconomic Determinants of Wage Differential at Workplace: A Case Study of Pakistan

This study examines three socioeconomic determinants of wage differentials at work among males and females, males only and females only. Secondary data from the Pakistan Living Standards Measurement Survey (PSLM) 2018-19 and binary logistic regression techniques were used to assess the wage differential in Pakistan's workplace. Female respondents are more likely to suffer from low wages at work than male respondents. As a result, the wage differential exists according to gender. High-educated respondents are less likely to fall into lower salaries than those with primary education. Based on the study results, a wage differential at work is more likely to occur for unmarried respondents than for married respondents. There is a wage differential between respondents in managerial-related occupations and those in other fields. Even though all determinants of wage differential have their impact, personal attributes like education play a significant role in determining wage differentials at the workplace. Men who are married earn lower wages at work than unmarried men, according to the results. Wage differentials are affected by marital status. The wage differential persists as male education increases, with higher-educated men earning lower wages. Men who do not work in managerial occupations are more likely to face wage differentials than managers. It is less likely that rural males will face wage differentials. In addition, male respondents in Punjab are less likely to fall into lower income levels at work than respondents in other regions. This suggests that wage differentials are affected by various factors, including region, marital status, and education. However, more research is needed to understand the exact causes of wage differentials between men and women. It is also essential to recognize that wage differentials are not always based on gender alone. Other factors like race or ethnicity may also affect wage disparities.

Evaluation of Some Dental Myths Among the Adult Population in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background To provide effective oral health care to patients and healthy individuals, it is critical to recognize prevalent myths. Most myths cause patients to follow the wrong protocol in dentistry, which can make treatment difficult for the dentist. This study aimed to assess dental myths among the Saudi Arabian population in Riyadh. Methodology A descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among Riyadh adults between August and October 2021. Saudi nationals aged 18-65 living in Riyadh without cognitive, hearing, or vision impairments and with limited or no trouble interpreting the questionnaire were surveyed. Only participants who consented to participate in the study were included. JMP Pro 15.2.0 was used to evaluate survey data. Frequency and percentage distributions were used for dependent and independent variables. The chi-square test evaluated the statistical significance of the variables, with a p-value of 0.05 being considered statistically significant. Results A total of 433 participants completed the survey. Half of the sample (50%) were aged 18-28; 50% were men; and 75% had a college degree. Higher-educated men and women did better on the survey. In particular, 80% of the participants believed "teething causes fever." "Placing a (pain killer) tablet on a tooth reduces pain" was believed by 34.40% of the participants, and 26% thought pregnant women should not get dental work. Lastly, 79% of the participants believed that "infants obtain calcium from their mother's teeth and bone." Most sources of these pieces of information were online (62.60%). Conclusions Nearly half of the participants believe in dental health myths, and as a result, people follow unhealthy practices. This results in long-term health consequences. The government and health professionals must prevent the spread of such misconceptions. In this regard, dental health education may be helpful. Most of this study's crucial findings are consistent with those of prior studies, indicating its accuracy.

Educational gradients in older adults' personal network size, diversity and social support: a widening gap between haves and have nots across birth cohorts?

AbstractSocietal change related to individualisation has likely made individual resources more important for the maintenance of social ties. This raises the question whether lower-educated adults are more disadvantaged in later-born cohorts in personal network structure and function. Observations are from 4,886 individuals aged 55 and over from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA), who are followed over a timespan of a maximum of 24 years between 1992 and 2016. Multi-level regression models are estimated to determine cohort differences. Network size is larger in later-born cohorts, and more so for the higher-educated than for the lower-educated adults. Network diversity increases across birth cohorts irrespective of educational level. Lower- and higher-educated women, and lower-educated men give more instrumental support in later-born cohorts, whereas higher-educated men do not show such a steep increase. More emotional and instrumental support is also received in later-born cohorts irrespective of educational level, but higher-educated adults receive more emotional support in all birth cohorts. Thus, lower-educated older adults are not necessarily worse off socially in later-born cohorts. Instead, they are even more likely to be active givers of support. Also, most of the gains in personal networks of older adults in later-born cohorts are independent of educational level, suggesting that the social landscape for older adults today is much richer.

The effects of education on health and mechanisms: evidence from China

ABSTRACT Existing studies that explore the effects of education on health primarily focused on developed countries, and the extent to which education impacts health is still highly debated. This paper studies the causal effects of education on health in the largest developing country-China. We use 1977 Resuming College Entrance Exam Policy as an IV and find that education has little impact on health in general, while our findings suggest that people with higher education are more likely to be diagnosed with hypertension. We also test some possible mechanisms through which education might affect health, including smoking, drinking, exercise, and cognition. Majorities of these estimations provide no evidence that education would impact health behaviors or cognitive abilities. However, we find that higher-educated men are more likely to drink more and exercise less.

Late Working Life Patterns in Sweden

Late working life patterns differ across different social groups and birth cohorts. The mechanisms of these participation differences and role of working life policies can be understood better by using additional working life indicators and historical perspective. This paper investigates how late working life patterns of different age, gender, education groups and birth cohorts are structured in Sweden using participation, employment type, employment break and exit trajectories of different groups. Using Swedish National Registry Data, employment trajectories of the age groups of 60-68 of the birth cohorts 1930, 1935, 1940, 1945 and 1950 are followed. Results show that for all birth cohorts, participation is higher for younger age groups, men and higher educated; leaving the working life before 61 is more common among primary educated; changing employment type in late working life is observed more among higher educated men and usage of sickness compensation is higher among primary educated and women. However, the peak age that individuals exit, and experience employment breaks differs over the years. In addition, although higher educated individuals have lower shares in usage of unemployment and sickness compensation for all birth cohorts, the structure of benefits usage of the other education and gender groups change over the years. Overall, results give important insights how changes in working life policies affect working life patterns of different groups over the years.

Gender issues and revival of inequalities

In Slovenia, the share of the female workforce is one of the highest in the world, with almost 90 % of employed women by generation in some age groups in active years. COVID-19 syndemic has affected women far more than men in their daily working practices. We could observe higher educated women have been working from home in 36 %, in comparison to higher educated men (22,2 %). The difference is even bigger in lower educated women, working from home in 32 %, in comparison to mail workforce (14,7 %). That could mean they were taking care for children, supporting them in distance learning. At the same time, women are reporting on more intensive worsening of their financial situation in the last three months during COVID-19 syndemic - among higher educated women, 26,2 % report on worsen financial situation, in comparison to men with the same education (18,2 %). Comparable results we could observe in lower educated female (33,1 % with worsened financial situation) and male respondents (25,6 %). Women are also more doubtful and are refusing vaccination (33,9 %) in higher share than men (21,3%), putting themselves to higher risk for COVID-19 infection. It is of upmost importance for the governments at any level to consider the gender equity and female perspective of any measure, adopted in the recovery phase.

Macroeconomic fluctuations and educational inequalities in suicide mortality among working-age men in the Baltic countries and Finland in 2000–2015: A register-based study

IntroductionIn the 2000s, the Baltic countries experienced unprecedented economic growth followed by a deep recession. This study aimed to examine changes and educational inequalities in suicide mortality among working-age men in the Baltic countries and Finland in relation to macroeconomic fluctuations. MethodsWe analysed changes in overall suicide mortality and by educational level between the 2000–2003, 2004–2007, 2008–2011 and 2012–2015 periods among men aged 30–64 years using census-linked longitudinal mortality data. We estimated age-standardised mortality rates, mortality rate ratios (Poisson regression), the relative index of inequality and slope index of inequality. ResultsOverall suicide mortality fell markedly from 2000–2003 to 2004–2007. The decline was largest among high educated men in the Baltic countries and among middle and low educated men in Finland. From 2004–2007 to 2008–2011, the positive trend slowed and while suicide mortality continued to fall among middle and low educated men, it increased somewhat among high educated men in all Baltic countries. In Finland, suicide mortality decreased among the high educated and increased slightly among low educated men. ConclusionsIn the Baltic countries, lower educated men had a smaller decline in suicide mortality than higher educated men during a period of rapid economic expansion, however, they were not more disadvantaged during the recession, possibly because of being less exposed to financial loss. Consequently, relative inequalities in suicide mortality may increase during economic booms and decrease during recessions.

Couples' Job Insecurity and Relationship Satisfaction in the Netherlands

AbstractObjectiveThe goal of this study is to estimate the effect of one's own and one's partner's job insecurity on relationship satisfaction, with attention to gender and educational differences in these effects. Second, we test whether the effects of individual job insecurity on individual relationship satisfaction depends on partner job insecurity.BackgroundResearch has established that job insecurity is negatively associated with relationship quality at the individual level, but little is known about how partner's job insecurity shapes individual perceptions of relationship quality. Although one's partner's job insecurity is expected to be negatively associated with relationship quality on average, it may be protective in cases in which individual job insecurity is also high. We expand spillover–crossover and family stress models to develop and test hypotheses about the independent and interactive effects of individual and partner job insecurity on relationship quality and further consider potential gender and educational differences in the independent effects of individual and partner job insecurity on individual perceptions of relationship quality.MethodDutch dyadic longitudinal panel data was used (Dutch Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences panels 2008–2015) composed of 11,536 observations of 3,668 individuals. Random and fixed effects models were estimated to study differences between individuals (random effects) and changes over time within individuals (fixed effects).ResultsMen and women were less satisfied with their relationship when they felt more job insecurity, and women were less satisfied when their male partner experienced job insecurity. Men's relationship satisfaction was less strongly related to job insecurity when his partner experienced job insecurity as well. Relationship satisfaction of higher educated men suffered less from job insecurity than that of lower educated men.ConclusionJob insecurity was negatively associated with relationship satisfaction, and this association was dependent on gender and, among men, on partner's job insecurity and educational attainment. A dyadic and moderation perspective is important for understanding the relationship between employment and relationship quality.

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Risks of Prostate and Bladder Cancer in the Netherlands Cohort Study.

Prostate cancer and urinary bladder cancer are frequently occurring cancers with few risk factors identified. We examined the relation of Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence with risks of prostate and bladder cancer in the Netherlands Cohort Study (NLCS). Data were available for 58,279 men and 62,573 women, who completed a baseline questionnaire on diet and other cancer risk factors. Multiple MD scores, including the alternate Mediterranean diet score without alcohol (aMEDr), were calculated to assess MD adherence. After 20.3 years of follow-up, 3,868 prostate cancer cases (advanced: 1,256) and 1,884 bladder cancer cases could be included in multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses. aMEDr was not associated with advanced prostate cancer risk [hazard ratio (HR)per 2-point increment (95% confidence interval, 95% CI) = 1.06 (0.96-1.17)]. In contrast, higher aMEDr values were associated with a significantly increased risk of nonadvanced prostate cancer (P trend = 0.04). For bladder cancer risk, no association was observed with aMEDr [HRper 2-point increment (95% CI) = 1.00 (0.92-1.09)]. Absolute scores based on the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) dietary recommendations were not associated with prostate or bladder cancer risk. MD adherence, measured by aMEDr or other MD scores, was not associated with decreased risks of advanced prostate cancer and bladder cancer in the NLCS. Higher levels of care-seeking behavior, screening attendance, and prostate cancer awareness in higher educated men with healthier lifestyles could potentially explain the positive associations observed for nonadvanced prostate cancer risk. MD adherence does not seem to reduce the risk of (advanced) prostate cancer or bladder cancer.

Area-level relative deprivation and alcohol use in Denmark: Is there a relationship?

Greater area-level relative deprivation has been related to poorer health behaviours, but studies specifically on alcohol use and abuse have been equivocal. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate how area-level relative deprivation in Denmark relates to alcohol use and misuse in the country. As individual-level data, we used the national alcohol and drug survey of 2011 ( n= 5133). Data were procured from Statistics Denmark to construct an index of relative deprivation at the parish level ( n=2119). The deprivation index has two components, which were divided into quintiles. Multilevel linear and logistic regressions analysed the influence of area deprivation on mean alcohol use and hazardous drinking, as measured by the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test. Men who lived in parishes designated as 'very deprived' on the socioeconomic component were more likely to consume less alcohol; women who lived in parishes designated as 'deprived' on the housing component were less likely to drink hazardously. But at the individual level, education was positively related to mean alcohol consumption, and higher individual income was positively related to mean consumption for women. Higher-educated men were more likely to drink hazardously. Area-level measures of relative deprivation were not strongly related to alcohol use, yet in the same models individual-level socioeconomic variables had a more noticeable influence. This suggests that in a stronger welfare state, the impact of area-level relative deprivation may not be as great. Further work is needed to develop more sensitive measures of relative deprivation.

Inequity in disability pension: an intersectional analysis of the co-constitution of gender, education and age. The Hordaland Health Study

Social position, education, gender and increasing age are all identified as important risk factors for disability pension. This study takes an intersectionality approach and examines their co-constitution, in relation to inequity in disability pension. The population included 22,203 middle-aged men and women participating in the community-based Hordaland Health Study, Western Norway (1997–1999). The participants were categorised in four exposure groups: higher educated men, higher educated women, lower educated men and lower educated women. The outcome was disability pension from 1992 to end of 2007, from a national registry. Using recommendations for intersectionality-informed quantitative research, we estimated the main effects of gender and educational attainment on disability pension, and potential statistical multiplicative interactions between gender and education in relation to cause-specific and all-cause disability pension. For all-cause disability pension, men with higher education had the lowest risk for disability pension (rate per 1000 person-years: 2.01) during the course of working life (from age 35 to 57), followed by higher educated women (rate 3.56), and lower educated men (rate 4.59). Finally, women with lower education had a substantially increased risk already in early middle age (rate 8.39). We found a statistical multiplicative effect of lower education and female gender on all-cause disability pension and disability pension with musculoskeletal disorders compared with men with higher education. The discussion highlights that inequity in disability pension is not only about defining vulnerable groups, but also about understanding how privileges and disadvantages are unequally distributed.

Double burden of underweight and overweight among Bangladeshi adults differs between men and women: evidence from a nationally representative survey.

To estimate the prevalence of underweight and overweight among Bangladeshi adults and to determine if the double burden of underweight and overweight differs by gender and other socio-economic characteristics of individuals. We used data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2011. Multinominal logistic regression was used to examine associations between the different nutritional statuses of individuals and related determinants. Interaction effect was checked between gender and various socio-economic factors. Nationwide, covering the whole of Bangladesh. Individuals aged >18 years (women, n 16 052; men, n 5090). Underweight was observed among 28·3 % of men and 24·4 % of women, whereas overweight was observed among 8·4 % of men and 16·9 % of women. The odds of being overweight were significantly lower among urban men (OR=0·46; 95 % CI 0·37, 0·57) compared with urban women, whereas the odds of being underweight were significantly higher among urban men (OR=1·33; 95 % CI 1·07, 1·64) compared with urban women. The odds of being overweight were lower among higher educated men (OR=0·48; 95 % CI 0·39, 0·58) and men of rich households (OR=0·45; 95 % CI 0·37, 0·54) compared with higher educated women and women of rich households, respectively. There are important gender differences in the prevalence of underweight and overweight among the adult population in Bangladesh. Women with higher education, in rich and urban households have higher chances of being overweight and lower chances of being underweight compared with their male counterparts.

Opleidingshomogamie in Nederland revisited

Summary Educational homogamy in the Netherlands revisited. Stability or increased segmentation on the marriage market?Using large-scale, representative survey data from the 1999, 2003 and 2007 waves of Aanvullende Voorzieningengebruik Onderzoek (AVO) we study trends in educational homogamy for the Netherlands between 1960 and 2010. Prior studies for the Netherlands focused on relative homogamy, the tendency to marry within the group given the supply of marriage candidates. We investigate next to relative homogamy, patterns and trends in absolute homogamy since absolute homogamy is consequential for social inequality and cohesion. Descriptive analyses display a decrease in absolute educational homogamy for lower educated men, a rise for higher educated men, and a decrease for higher educated women. Loglinear analyses of relative educational homogamy show relative stable patterns, except for an increase of relative homogamy for lower educated. Our findings indicate no uniform in- or decreased social segmentation on marriage markets in the Netherlands, and show that observed changes in educational homogamy are foremost due to changes in the supply of marriage candidates, and less so to changes in preferences for homogamy.

Dietary Intake according to Gender and Education: A Twenty-Year Trend in a Swiss Adult Population.

We assessed trends in dietary intake according to gender and education using repeated cross-sectional, population-based surveys conducted between 1993 and 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland (17,263 participants, 52.0 ± 10.6 years, 48% male). In 1993–1999, higher educated men had higher monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), carotene and vitamin D intakes than lower educated men, and the differences decreased in 2006–2012. In 1993–1999, higher educated women had higher fiber, iron, carotene, vitamin D and alcohol intakes than lower educated women, and the differences decreased in 2006–2012. Total energy, polyunsaturated fatty acids, retinol and alcohol intakes decreased, while mono/disaccharides, MUFA and carotene intake increased in both genders. Lower educated men had stronger decreases in saturated fatty acid (SFA) and calcium intakes than higher educated men: multivariate-adjusted slope and 95% confidence interval −0.11 (−0.15; −0.06) vs. −0.03 (−0.08; 0.02) g/day/year for SFA and −5.2 (−7.8; −2.7) vs. −1.03 (−3.8; 1.8) mg/day/year for calcium, p for interaction <0.05. Higher educated women had a greater decrease in iron intake than lower educated women: −0.03 (−0.04; −0.02) vs. −0.01 (−0.02; 0.00) mg/day/year, p for interaction = 0.002. We conclude that, in Switzerland, dietary intake evolved similarly between 1993 and 2012 in both educational groups. Educational differences present in 1993 persisted in 2012.

Masculinity Ideals in a Contemporary Danish Context

What are the prevailing masculinity ideals among contemporary Danish men? As one of the Nordic welfare states, Denmark has for decades focused on gender equality and changes in the gendered division of labour. Research has suggested a shift in masculinity ideals, but processes of change comprise not only changes but also continuities, as well as ambivalences and contradictions. This article investigates how normative masculinity ideals—the most accepted ways of being a man in a certain context—are expressed and negotiated by contemporary Danish men, and how these ideals are related to overall discourses of gender.The article is based on a mixed methods design, consisting of: (1) a quantitative survey among lower-educated men in two male-dominated occupations, and (2) a qualitative, explorative analysis of data from five focus group interviews with both lower- and higher-educated men. The two occupations in the survey constitute a critical case, based on the argument that if traditional masculinity ideals are rejected here—among lower-educated men, who are likely to be more supportive of traditional gender ideals than the more highly educated—then Danish men in general are likely to reject traditional masculinity ideals.Both the quantitative and qualitative analyses indicate that traditional patriarchal masculinity ideals are not the most legitimate among the men. They seem to subscribe to more gender equality friendly masculinities, although this picture is not clear-cut as we also see negotiations and variations between the men. Thus, the article concludes that in a Danish context we can identify authoritative masculinity ideals that do not reproduce patriarchy or support traditional masculinity ideals in an unambiguous way.

Vyrų išsilavinimas ir pirmoji santuoka: ar universitetas suteikia pranašumų?

Based on the analysis of the data of the Census 2001 and the linked dataset of the Census 2011 and the 2011–2013 first marriage register, the paper explores the association between men’s educational resources and transition into first marriage in Lithuania. The theoretical assumptions of the study are related to the hypotheses of gender role specialization ant gender role combination. Both hypotheses argue that higher men’s educational resources increase men’s attractiveness in the marriage market. The empirical analysis revealed that men’s education became significant predictor of the marital behaviour during the Soviet period starting with the birth cohort of 1950–1954 and that it affected all consequent birth cohorts. Although the education had very limited effect on men’s economic role in the family during the Soviet period, it is most likely that the attractiveness of higher-educated men in the marriage market was positively affected by other educational advantages. In contemporary society, men with higher education have also higher chances to form the first marriage even if we control for many individual demographic and social variables. Thus, the positive educational gradient in marriage remains stable despite the radical changes in the contextual setting and the economic returns of the education.

Socio-demographic, behavioural and cognitive correlates of work-related sitting time in German men and women.

BackgroundSitting time is ubiquitous for most adults in developed countries and is most prevalent in three domains: in the workplace, during transport and during leisure time. The correlates of prolonged sitting time in workplace settings are not well understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the gender-specific associations between the socio-demographic, behavioural and cognitive correlates of work-related sitting time.MethodsA cross-sectional sample of working German adults (n = 1515; 747 men; 43.5 ± 11.0 years) completed questionnaires regarding domain-specific sitting times and physical activity (PA) and answered statements concerning beliefs about sitting. To identify gender-specific correlates of work-related sitting time, we used a series of linear regressions.ResultsThe overall median was 2 hours of work-related sitting time/day. Regression analyses showed for men (β = -.43) and for women (β = -.32) that work-related PA was negatively associated with work-related sitting time, but leisure-related PA was not a significant correlate. For women only, transport-related PA (β = -.07) was a negative correlate of work-related sitting time, suggesting increased sitting times during work with decreased PA in transport. Education and income levels were positively associated, and in women only, age (β = -.14) had a negative correlation with work-related sitting time. For both genders, TV-related sitting time was negatively associated with work-related sitting time. The only association with cognitive correlates was found in men for the belief ‘Sitting for long periods does not matter to me’ (β = .10) expressing a more positive attitude towards sitting with increasing sitting durations.ConclusionsThe present findings show that in particular, higher educated men and women as well as young women are high-risk groups to target for reducing prolonged work-related sitting time. In addition, our findings propose considering increasing transport-related PA, especially in women, as well as promoting recreation-related PA in conjunction with efforts to reduce long work-related sitting times.

Who Remains Unpartnered by Mid-Life in Norway? Differentials by Gender and Education

Using data on men and women born 1927 to 1968 from the Norwegian Gender and Generations Survey (N = 8,813), we examine differentials in remaining without experience from a marital or non-marital union by age 40. We are particularly interested in differentials by gender and education, as well as changes across birth cohorts. 6.5% of the respondents (7.8% of the men and 5.2% of the women) had no union experience by age 40. Multivariate results confirmed that the odds of remaining unpartnered by age 40 decreased across the birth cohorts studied here, particularly among women. Separate models for men and women confirmed that primary educated men had the highest odds of remaining unpartnered. Among women, on the other hand, those with a university education had significantly higher odds of not having had union experience by age 40 compared with their lower educated counterparts. Results from interaction models confirmed that higher educated men have become increasingly likely to remain unpartnered. Among women, we found no evidence for a changing importance of education for remaining unpartnered by age 40.

Socioeconomic inequalities in premature mortality in Colombia, 1998–2007: The double burden of non-communicable diseases and injuries

ObjectivesNon-communicable diseases have become the leading cause of death in middle-income countries, but mortality from injuries and infections remains high. We examined the contribution of specific causes to disparities in adult premature mortality (ages 25–64) by educational level from 1998 to 2007 in Colombia. MethodsData from mortality registries were linked to population censuses to obtain mortality rates by educational attainment. We used Poisson regression to model trends in mortality by educational attainment and estimated the contribution of specific causes to the Slope Index of Inequality. ResultsMen and women with only primary education had higher premature mortality than men and women with post-secondary education (RRmen=2.60, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.56, 2.64; RRwomen=2.36, CI: 2.31, 2.42). Mortality declined in all educational groups, but declines were significantly larger for higher-educated men and women. Homicide explained 55.1% of male inequalities while non-communicable diseases explained 62.5% of female inequalities and 27.1% of male inequalities. Infections explained a small proportion of inequalities in mortality. ConclusionInjuries and non-communicable diseases contribute considerably to disparities in premature mortality in Colombia. Multi-sector policies to reduce both interpersonal violence and non-communicable disease risk factors are required to curb mortality disparities.

Bildungsunterschiede im Tabakkonsum und Rauchausstieg junger Erwachsener. Ergebnisse der Studie „Gesundheit in Deutschland aktuell“ (GEDA) 2009 und 2010

Studies show that adolescents attending upper secondary schools are less likely to smoke than their peers attending lower secondary school types. This article examines how educational differences in smoking behaviour continue in young adulthood. Besides frequency and intensity of tobacco use the main focus is on smoking cessation.The analyses were based on information of the 18- to 29-year-old men and women who participated in the nationwide representative telephone survey "German Health Update" (GEDA) 2009 and 2010 carried out by the Robert Koch Institute (n=7,620). Smoking behaviour was measured by several questions on smoking frequency and intensity. Educational status was assessed by the highest school-leaving certificate and classified as low (no school-leaving certificate/Hauptschule certificate), middle (General Certificate of Secondary Education/Realschule certificate), and high (general qualification for university entrance (Abitur)/advanced technical college entrance qualification). In addition to prevalence estimates, age-adjusted odds ratios (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using logistic regression.According to the GEDA study, the prevalence of smoking was 42.6% among men and 36.7% among women aged 18-29 years. The prevalence of current smoking increased with decreasing educational level. The odds of current smoking was 3.72-times higher in lower as compared to higher educated men (95% CI 2.90-4.77) and 3.00-times higher in lower as compared to higher educated women (95% CI 2.30-3.92). Moreover, high intensity of tobacco use was also associated with lower education in men and women. The odds of successful quitting was significantly reduced in the lowest compared to the highest educational group (men: OR=0.45; 95% CI 0.31-0.66; women: OR=0.65; 95% CI 0.44-0.94).Our findings suggest that young adults with low education are more likely to start smoking and less likely to quit than their higher educated peers. Therefore, tobacco prevention and cessation initiatives should more focus on lower educated young adults.