GENDER DIFFERENCES IN HIGHER EDUCATION DEGREE CHOICE

Abstract

Choosing and enrolling in a higher education degree and, consequently, selecting a profession, is still conditioned by social and cultural factors characterized by gender stereotypes that continue to attract more men to technical and technological careers and more women to teacher training and social work. However, the nature of gender inequities changed over the recent decades, becoming more complex. This complexity can be observed in the men and women's career preferences. Even considering that vocation influences the choices, the stability that some careers represent, regarding the immediate access to employment and to reasonable salaries also influences the options made by men and women. Besides that, literature has been highlighting that both the students' self-perception and the perceptions about degrees and social encouragement also influences their choices.