Gender differences in the choice of studies of Hungarian, Slovak and Romanian ethnic minority high school graduates in Serbia

Abstract

The subject of this research were the gender differences in the choice of studies of Hungarian, Slovak and Romanian ethnic minority members in the AP of Vojvodina. The aim of the paper is to analyze the status and career choices of ethnic minority students, who finish their secondary school in AP Vojvodina in their mother tongue. In order to achieve the aforementioned goal, 2192 students, both male and female, were asked to fill in a formal questionnaire in 16 municipalities in Vojvodina in 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 school years. The results show that around one third of the secondary school students migrates and studies in the nearby EU countries. The research has also shown that gender stereotypes significantly influence the career choices of female students, who usually opt for social sciences, although technical sciences would provide them with a wider range of opportunities in career development.