Socio‐Economic and Gender Differences in Post‐Secondary Pathways in the UK, Germany, and Australia

This study investigates variations in school‐to‐work transitions (SWTs) by socio‐economic status (SES), gender, and socio‐cultural context. Leveraging data from three nationally representative longitudinal panel studies, we compare the experiences of young people coming of age in the 21st century (2...

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Main Authors: Wojtek Tomaszewski, Hans Dietrich, Golo Henseke, Ning Xiang, Ingrid Schoon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cogitatio 2025-03-01
Series:Social Inclusion
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Online Access:https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/9601
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author Wojtek Tomaszewski
Hans Dietrich
Golo Henseke
Ning Xiang
Ingrid Schoon
author_facet Wojtek Tomaszewski
Hans Dietrich
Golo Henseke
Ning Xiang
Ingrid Schoon
author_sort Wojtek Tomaszewski
collection DOAJ
description This study investigates variations in school‐to‐work transitions (SWTs) by socio‐economic status (SES), gender, and socio‐cultural context. Leveraging data from three nationally representative longitudinal panel studies, we compare the experiences of young people coming of age in the 21st century (2011 to 2023) in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia. We examine the role of different support systems that scaffold the SWT process along various post‐secondary pathways, including university, further education/vocational training, and employment tracks, with a particular focus on variations by parental education and gender. Utilizing longitudinal data from the Understanding Society Panel in the UK (N = 15,692 observations), the German Socio‐Economic Panel (GSOEP; N = 5,464), and the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey (N = 5,759), we track synthetic cohorts born between 1993 and 1995 from ages 18 to 27 in the three countries. We employ linear probability models to conduct a cross‐national comparative analysis, identifying variations in post‐secondary pathways across the three country contexts. The choice of countries is motivated by their shared status as developed economies with distinct features in their SWT systems—contrasting the neoliberal deregulatory frameworks of Britain and Australia with Germany’s employment‐focused dual system. The findings reveal significant effects of parental education on post‐secondary transitions, as well as the differing roles of gender across various educational policy contexts. These results underscore the complexity of SWT when considered in different national settings. The insights generated by this analysis highlight the importance of dedicated policies to support low‐SES youth and promote gender equality in education and employment outcomes.
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spelling doaj-art-3b8b6c251dad4ebfa3bc9240534044f12025-08-20T01:57:01ZengCogitatioSocial Inclusion2183-28032025-03-0113010.17645/si.96014050Socio‐Economic and Gender Differences in Post‐Secondary Pathways in the UK, Germany, and AustraliaWojtek Tomaszewski0Hans Dietrich1Golo Henseke2Ning Xiang3Ingrid Schoon4Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland, Australia / ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families Over the Life Course, The University of Queensland, AustraliaInstitute for Employment Research (IAB), GermanyDepartment of Education, Practice and Society, University College London, UKInstitute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland, Australia / ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families Over the Life Course, The University of Queensland, AustraliaSocial Research Institute, University College London, UKThis study investigates variations in school‐to‐work transitions (SWTs) by socio‐economic status (SES), gender, and socio‐cultural context. Leveraging data from three nationally representative longitudinal panel studies, we compare the experiences of young people coming of age in the 21st century (2011 to 2023) in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia. We examine the role of different support systems that scaffold the SWT process along various post‐secondary pathways, including university, further education/vocational training, and employment tracks, with a particular focus on variations by parental education and gender. Utilizing longitudinal data from the Understanding Society Panel in the UK (N = 15,692 observations), the German Socio‐Economic Panel (GSOEP; N = 5,464), and the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey (N = 5,759), we track synthetic cohorts born between 1993 and 1995 from ages 18 to 27 in the three countries. We employ linear probability models to conduct a cross‐national comparative analysis, identifying variations in post‐secondary pathways across the three country contexts. The choice of countries is motivated by their shared status as developed economies with distinct features in their SWT systems—contrasting the neoliberal deregulatory frameworks of Britain and Australia with Germany’s employment‐focused dual system. The findings reveal significant effects of parental education on post‐secondary transitions, as well as the differing roles of gender across various educational policy contexts. These results underscore the complexity of SWT when considered in different national settings. The insights generated by this analysis highlight the importance of dedicated policies to support low‐SES youth and promote gender equality in education and employment outcomes.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/9601australiacross‐national comparative analysisgendergermanypost‐secondary pathwaysschool‐to‐work transitionssocio‐economic statusuk
spellingShingle Wojtek Tomaszewski
Hans Dietrich
Golo Henseke
Ning Xiang
Ingrid Schoon
Socio‐Economic and Gender Differences in Post‐Secondary Pathways in the UK, Germany, and Australia
Social Inclusion
australia
cross‐national comparative analysis
gender
germany
post‐secondary pathways
school‐to‐work transitions
socio‐economic status
uk
title Socio‐Economic and Gender Differences in Post‐Secondary Pathways in the UK, Germany, and Australia
title_full Socio‐Economic and Gender Differences in Post‐Secondary Pathways in the UK, Germany, and Australia
title_fullStr Socio‐Economic and Gender Differences in Post‐Secondary Pathways in the UK, Germany, and Australia
title_full_unstemmed Socio‐Economic and Gender Differences in Post‐Secondary Pathways in the UK, Germany, and Australia
title_short Socio‐Economic and Gender Differences in Post‐Secondary Pathways in the UK, Germany, and Australia
title_sort socio economic and gender differences in post secondary pathways in the uk germany and australia
topic australia
cross‐national comparative analysis
gender
germany
post‐secondary pathways
school‐to‐work transitions
socio‐economic status
uk
url https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/9601
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AT golohenseke socioeconomicandgenderdifferencesinpostsecondarypathwaysintheukgermanyandaustralia
AT ningxiang socioeconomicandgenderdifferencesinpostsecondarypathwaysintheukgermanyandaustralia
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