Why do women more often intend to study abroad than men?

Abstract

In many Western countries, women are more likely to study abroad than men. At present, there is a lack of theory-guided empirical studies searching explanations for this pattern. We address this research gap by examining gender differences in study abroad intent among first-semester students in Germany. To derive a comprehensive theoretical framework, we draw on social role theory of sex differences, cognitive development theory, new home economics and statistical discrimination theory. Using data from the nationally representative 2010 DZHW School Leavers Survey, we test our hypotheses by estimating logistic regressions and non-linear effect decompositions. We find that women more often intend to study abroad primarily because of the gender-specific interest profiles they develop throughout their early life course: Related to their subject choice at school, women tend to acquire competences (e.g., language skills) that ease later stays abroad. To some extent, women’s better educational performance during school also explains their better chances to study abroad. Once in higher education, women tend to choose fields of study in which studying abroad is considered more valuable for competence acquisition. Losing time due to studying abroad is less of an obstacle for women but—against theoretical expectations—not because of a lower labour market orientation. Finally, the expectation to interrupt the professional career for taking care of the family deters women—especially those from a low social background—from studying abroad, but not men. We do not find evidence that women understand studying abroad as a strategy to counteract this anticipated discrimination. Overall, our results underscore the particular importance of social role and cognitive development theory for explaining gender differences in the spatial mobility of students.

A Systematic Literature Review on LGBT+ U.S. Students Studying Abroad

“…As other studies have highlighted of U.S. (Salisbury et al, 2010) and other contexts (Cordua & Netz, 2021;di Pietro, 2022;Van Mol, 2022), gender based on participation is unbalanced, with the majority of students studying abroad being primarily cisgender female students. Because women are more likely to participate in study abroad over men (IIE, 2020), questions arise around whether or not the program options, country destinations, and the social sphere in which men exist limit their participation in traditional study abroad programs.…”

Explaining Social Selectivity in Study Abroad Participation of German Students between 1994 and 2016

“…We do this because previous work shows that aspirations to move abroad are a good proxy for actual movement in the future (Bjarnason and Thorlindsson 2006; van Dalen and Henkens 2012). Prior research indicates that female students and students from higher social backgrounds not only study abroad more frequently, but they are also more likely to intend to do so (Cordua and Netz 2022; Lörz, Netz, and Quast 2016).…”

“…Second, we have a variable that measures students' study abroad intentions with five categories. We merged this variable with the first variable, and the original categories 1 = no, 2 = maybe, 3 = probably, and 5 = not sure yet are coded as 0 = no (for a similar approach, see Cordua and Netz 2022). Students who reported definitely wanting to go abroad are coded as 1 = yes.…”

Empowerment of Women Tea Pickers (A Case Study on Lawu Mountainside in Karanganyar Regency)

“…Although women spend time helping to earn a living for their families, men are still considered to be the primary breadwinners, and for this reason women are often paid a lower wage [10][11][12]. Women are subordinated in low-prestige jobs with low wages because women bear children and must therefore give priority to their jobs as homemakers [13][14].…”