Gender differences in the quality of the school-to-work transition in Spain

What is it about?

This article analyses to what extent gender affects the quality of the school-to-work transition in Spain, paying special attention to workers’ educational attainment. We study the main obstacles young people face in their insertion process: part-time work, overeducation, fixed-term contracts and long unemployment spells. Furthermore, in order to obtain a synthetic overview of this process, we develop an indicator for experiencing a precarious transition. We conclude that men experience a better insertion process than women at every level of education (except for higher vocational training), although the gender gap is greater for long-cycle university programmes. Furthermore, when field of study is considered, men from most specializations enjoy a smoother transition than their female counterparts; nevertheless, women have the advantage in some female-dominated fields. A further analysis of gender differences reveals that they are due to the fact of being male or female to a great extent. The results also highlight that school-leavers from work-oriented programmes and those specialized in fields that provide them with more specific skills are more likely to succeed in the transition.

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Why is it important?

The analysis of the insertion process in the marketplace makes possible to recommend and evaluate some policies related to equality, education and labour market. Furthermore, understanding the school-to-work transition is crucial, since entering the labour market via low quality jobs could imply negative consequences for young people. A bad insertion prevents or delays emancipation and damages their life satisfaction in general terms (including subjective issues, as individuals’ attitudes toward work, their emotional states, and their sense of optimism about the future).