Korean Youth Gender Gap on Career Aspirations: Turning “Dreamless” Into STEM, Health, and CASH Professionals

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Abstract

In light of gender disparity and labor shortage issues in professional fields, this paper uses PISA 2018 Korean data to identify the predictors of adolescents’ occupational aspirations. Specifically, we explore a wide range of predictors via LASSO-logit search by comparing the Dreamers (aspirants of STEM, Health, CASH professions) to the Dreamless (vague or no career plan). We find that especially female students are more likely to choose STEM or Health fields when they have proactive attitudes towards competition and career-related teacher support. For both genders, searching for career information, having an evident life meaning, and possessing family cultural capital could help develop occupational aspirations. These findings hold importance for educational policies addressing gender disparity and meeting demand for skilled workforce.

Authors

• Jaekyung Lee, University at Buffalo - SUNY

• Seulki Kim, Korean Educational Development Institute