Cross-National Gender Gaps in Educational and Occupational Expectations: A Study of Patterns and Causes

Anne McDaniel, Ohio State University
Claudia Buchmann, Ohio State University

This paper explores the changing gender gaps in educational and occupational expectations cross-nationally. Using data from the 2003 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), it examines gender differences in expectations of 15-year-olds in 30 countries and the sources of cross-national variations in these gender differences. Preliminary results indicate that girls have higher educational expectations than boys in almost all countries. We find a similar pattern for occupational expectations: more girls than boys expect to have white collar occupations, and more boys than girls expect to be employed in blue collar occupations. In addition to mapping the similarities and differences in gender gaps in expectations across many countries, this study seeks to identify the individual-level and country-level variations that explain cross-national differences in the gender gap in educational expectations, thereby advancing knowledge of the changing patterns of gender inequalities in education throughout the world.