Routes into education and employment for young Pakistani and Bangladeshi women in the UK

TLDR

The study is set against a backdrop of strong cultural emphasis on education among Asian communities, parental aspirations for success, and an ethnic penalty in the UK labour market. It investigates the educational and employment experiences and aspirations of young Pakistani and Bangladeshi residents of Oldham, Greater Manchester. While many young people show high aspirations and participation linked to parental education, not all share these goals; girls face additional pressures to preserve family honour, yet recent data reveal a rise in Pakistani and Bangladeshi women enrolling in full‑time undergraduate courses and a strong determination among degree‑holding women to balance paid work with family life. Keywords: Pakistani, Bangladeshi, gender, higher education, employment.

Abstract

Abstract The article examines the educational and employment experiences and aspirations of young Pakistani and Bangladeshi people living in Oldham, in Great Manchester. Many young people demonstrated high aspirations and high levels of participation, particularly in relation to the educational and occupational level of their parents. Explanatory factors include the cultural value of education among Asian groups, the desire by parents to ensure success for their children and the ethnic penalty which these young people incur in the labour market. However, not all Pakistani and Bangladeshi young people have these aspirations. Girls who wished to continue their education faced a more complex situation than boys; for girls it was important to avoid jeopardizing the family honour. Nonetheless, national statistics show a marked increase in the numbers of young Pakistani and Bangladeshi women in full-time undergraduate courses in recent years. Women with degree level qualifications showed considerable determination to combine paid employment with family life. Keywords: PakistaniBangladeshiGenderHigher EducationEmployment