The Early Career Detour via "Return to School" Among U.S. College Graduates

• In Event: 15.037 - Careers in the Academy: Exploring Job Prospects

Abstract

Women have outpaced men in college attainment, yet lagged behind men in the labor market. Meanwhile, young graduates may update their knowledge of the labor market and decide to go back to school as a career management strategy, especially among women who face more structural constraints compared to men. As postgraduate degree may facilitate career development, the career detour via “return to school” may open avenues for reducing gender inequality in the labor market. Using data from National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG 2015), this study investigates into how women and men responded to the labor market constraints differently via “return to school”, and yields insights into the processes of gender stratification at the outset of the career stage.

Author

• Xiao Yu, Johns Hopkins University