Occupational aspirations at the end of compulsory schooling: The interplay of parents’ educational background, work values and self-Concepts in the reproduction of inequality; Berufsaspirationen am Ende der Mittelschule – Das Zusammenspiel von Bildungshintergrund, Arbeitswerten und Selbstkonzepten in der Reproduktion von Ungleichheit

Abstract

Decisions about further schooling or vocational training are imminent at the end of lower secondary education, and they determine educational and occupational trajectories. Understanding decision processes during this transition helps to elucidate the intergenerational reproduction of inequality. The aim of this study is to untangle influences on students’ occupational aspirations and how their parents’ educational level shapes these aspirations. We analysed data from an online survey of 3078 students at approximately 15 years of age in the general track of lower secondary school (‘Neue Mittelschule’) in Vienna (Austria). Based on regression analyses and path models, we show that educational background is related to occupational aspirations. Work values, attitudes towards school and social capital shape occupational aspirations but cannot be (fully) explained by educational background. Furthermore, we find no evidence that locus of control affects the level of occupational aspirations. © 2023, The Author(s).

Keywords

Author Keywords

Social mobility habitus School-to-work transition intergenerational inequality Occupational aspirations Locus of control

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations

Department of Sociology, Universität Wien, Vienna, Vienna, Austria, Statistics Austria, Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Department of Sociology, Universität Wien, Vienna, Vienna, Austria, Department of Social Sciences, Universität Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

Department of Sociology, Universität Wien, Vienna, Vienna, Austria, Department of Spatial Planning, TU Wien, Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Funding & Acknowledgements

Universität Wien

Funding text 1: We would like to thank the Department of Sociology at the University of Vienna and the members of the steering committee of the project Pathways to the future: Jörg Flecker, Franz Astleithner, Andrea Jesser, Yuri Kazépov, Raphaela Kogler, Barbara Mataloni, Ana Mijic, Camilo Molina Xaca, Michael Parzer, Teresa Petrik, Maria Pohn-Lauggas, Christoph Reinprecht, Irene Rieder, Brigitte Schels, Maria Schlechter, Andre Schmidt, Nadia Steiber, Susanne Vogl, Veronika Wöhrer and Ulrike Zartler. This work was supported by the Austrian National Bank (OeNB) under Grant number 18283, (PI Susanne Vogl).; Funding text 2: This work was supported by the Austrian National Bank (OeNB) under Grant number 18283, (PI Susanne Vogl).

Oesterreichische Nationalbank, OeNB

Grant: 18283

Funding text 1: We would like to thank the Department of Sociology at the University of Vienna and the members of the steering committee of the project Pathways to the future: Jörg Flecker, Franz Astleithner, Andrea Jesser, Yuri Kazépov, Raphaela Kogler, Barbara Mataloni, Ana Mijic, Camilo Molina Xaca, Michael Parzer, Teresa Petrik, Maria Pohn-Lauggas, Christoph Reinprecht, Irene Rieder, Brigitte Schels, Maria Schlechter, Andre Schmidt, Nadia Steiber, Susanne Vogl, Veronika Wöhrer and Ulrike Zartler. This work was supported by the Austrian National Bank (OeNB) under Grant number 18283, (PI Susanne Vogl).; Funding text 2: This work was supported by the Austrian National Bank (OeNB) under Grant number 18283, (PI Susanne Vogl).

Oesterreichische Nationalbank, OeNB

Funding text 1: We would like to thank the Department of Sociology at the University of Vienna and the members of the steering committee of the project Pathways to the future: Jörg Flecker, Franz Astleithner, Andrea Jesser, Yuri Kazépov, Raphaela Kogler, Barbara Mataloni, Ana Mijic, Camilo Molina Xaca, Michael Parzer, Teresa Petrik, Maria Pohn-Lauggas, Christoph Reinprecht, Irene Rieder, Brigitte Schels, Maria Schlechter, Andre Schmidt, Nadia Steiber, Susanne Vogl, Veronika Wöhrer and Ulrike Zartler. This work was supported by the Austrian National Bank (OeNB) under Grant number 18283, (PI Susanne Vogl).; Funding text 2: This work was supported by the Austrian National Bank (OeNB) under Grant number 18283, (PI Susanne Vogl).

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