Gender Track in the Choice of Major in Higher Education

Abstract

This paper applies the concept of gender track to examine how high school students make career choices and how their choices relate to class and gender. A correspondence analysis using a 2012 survey of high school students revealed the following four points: (1) Two distinct axes -the academic track, corresponding to class origin, and the gender track, corresponding to gender bias. (2) Five career paths were identified: medical professionals, educational professionals, scientific professionals, clerical workers, blue-collar workers and undecided. (3) The gender track leads to hierarchical differentiation between males and females, while (4) the academic track leads to hierarchical differentiation between males and females, and among the same gender.