2023-05-07 16:36:05
Investigation
Students reluctant to pursue a career: a choice rather than a fatality
Most young women in school would rather have a successful man than pursue a career on their own. This is the astonishing result of the survey carried out by two German-speaking researchers.
Published
For the authors of the study, it is now clear that the under-representation of women in management positions is largely intentional and that there is no concrete evidence of discrimination. (illustrative image)
20min/Marvin Ancian
Mandated by the University of Zurich, two professors tried to find out why women were still so under-represented in high academic positions. In Zurich, for example, almost 60% of students are women, but the proportion of female professors is only 24%.
This phenomenon is not limited to Switzerland, but can be observed throughout Europe. For their study, the two researchers questioned nearly 10,000 students from the University of Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ), in particular regarding their professional ambitions, their conception of the family or even the choice of their partner.
The result, relayed by the “SonntagsZeitung”, is surprising: the reason for the under-representation of women in management positions is not discrimination, but the fact that women aspire to a career much less than men.
Finding valid elsewhere
Most female students indeed want a partner who is older and more successful than them. If the couple has children, the female majority wants to work part-time and expects their partner to provide the main income.
For the authors of the study, it is now clear that the under-representation of women in management positions is largely intentional and that there is no concrete evidence of discrimination. This observation would explain the limited success of current measures in favor of equality between women and men. The two researchers are also convinced that their observations are not only valid for academia, but also for other sectors of the economy.
(cle)
1683487059
#Students #reluctant #pursue #career #choice #fatality
