Why women and men choose different professions

According to a press release issued by the University of Bern on Thursday, the findings contradict common assumptions about the importance of job characteristics such as the family-friendliness of a position or salary.

For the study, which was published in the journal "Socio-Economic Review", a research team from the Universities of Bern and St. Gallen tested over 2,000 eighth-graders shortly before they chose an apprenticeship: In an experiment, the pupils had to choose between fictitious job descriptions that differed in eight characteristics: five related to the required skills - such as technical knowledge, creativity or social interaction - and three to classic job characteristics such as salary, part-time options or social relevance.

The results show: There are hardly any differences between the genders when it comes to pay, working hours or the meaningfulness of work. There are clear differences in the skills required. In the experiment, the young women avoided professions with a strong technical focus, while the young men found these attractive. Creative or social tasks, on the other hand, appealed to women in particular.

Growing inequalities

In an increasingly digitalized world of work, in which technological skills determine income and career, the lower preference of young women for technology-intensive professions will reinforce existing inequalities, according to the University of Bern.

According to the researchers, stereotypes need to be challenged in order to break down gender-specific career choice patterns. The results therefore show that gender-specific attributions of ability are already effective in adolescence.