Department of Quantitative Social Science
Nurse or Mechanic? Explaining Sex-Typed
Occupational Aspirations amongst
Children
Javier Polavieja
Lucinda Platt
DoQSS Working Paper No. 11-07
December 2011
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Department of Quantitative Social Science.
Institute of
Education, University of London. 20 Bedford way, London
WC1H 0AL, UK.
Nurse or Mechanic? Explaining Sex-Typed
Occupational Aspirations amongst Children
Javier Polavieja∗, Lucinda Platt†‡
Abstract. There is a high degree of sex-typing in young children’s occupational aspirations and this has consequences for adult occupational segregation. Yet we still know surprisingly little about the mechanisms involved in
the formation of sex-typical preferences and there is considerable theoretical
controversy regarding the relative role of parental socialization and individual
agency in this process. This study analyzes the determinants of sex-typed
occupational aspirations amongst British children aged between 11 and 15.
We develop a model of parental socialization and test for different channels
and mechanisms involved in the transmission of sex-typical preferences. We
also propose an innovative definition of personal agency that is anchored in
observable psychological traits linked to self-direction. We find that parental
influences on occupational preferences operate mainly through three distinctive channels: 1) the effect that parental socio-economic resources have on
the scope of children’s occupational aspirations, 2) children’s imitation of
parental occupations, and 3) children’s learning of sex-typed roles via the
observation of parental behavior. We also find a strong net effect of children’s own psychological predispositions —self-esteem in particular— on the
incidence of sex-typical occupational preferences. Yet large sex-differences in
occupational aspirations remain unexplained.
JEL classification: J13, J16, J24, Z13.
Keywords: Gender Segregation, Occupational Aspirations, Children, Socialization, Personality Traits.
∗
IMDEA-Social Sciences Institute
Institute of Education, University of London
‡
Research for this paper has been supported by the European Centre for Analysis in the
Social Sciences, ECASS, the Spanish National Research Council, CSIC and IMDEASocial Sciences Institute. Platt carried out this research while taking up a Marie Curie
Intra-European Fellowship at the Institute for Economic Analysis, IAE-CSIC. She is
grateful to the European Commission for funding the Fellowship. We also thank Michael
Biggs, Stephen Jenkins and Tak Wing Chan for their helpful comments. Address correspondence to javier.polavieja@imdea.org
†
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          
          
        
          

         
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
           

           
 
           
         

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            
         

           
        
       
 
          
          
           
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           

         


           

           

          
           
           
         




          
           
          

             

         
          
           
           


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

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
          
          
            
          
          
        
            

        
           
          
           
        
        
          

            

          
            
             

           
           
        
          
           
           
         
        
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          

            

           
        
            
   

          
          
         

         


          

              
          

            


           




           





          
              
         
       
          
             



          




          

         



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

           

          
           

             



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        
         

           


         
          
           
         


        


         


         



          
          

           

          
   
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

           


        
           
        
            





           
          
           
         
           

             

          

             
          
          


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            



         
            



            

            
            
         
      
          



            




              










           

           
           
            
  
           

          



            
          
          
        

           
  


         


       

           
         
       
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
        
         
 
            
         

           

           
           
         
           

             
         
         

          
         



           
          












        
         
          










          

       




           

         

          



            
           





           
              


              






          

          
         
           
          

            



           
             
          

              


         
        
        


         

            

          





          
         

           
         


            
           

          
        
           

         

          
           


           

         

     


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
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



         
           
           





           



              
            

        
            


            
          

             

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              


          
             
           
           



  


            
              
               




           
               

              

             

          
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           


           
          

 
             

            



            
          










              









           
  





               
           






            
  




               



             






            



          
             

  

         

           
            

          
             
         
           
            




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            




              
             

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
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            
         
          
            

           
         
         
            

           



 

               

             
   

              
           
              
  
           
          

         
         




          


             


          
               
           
          
            
          
          


           


         





             

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

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             
              

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
           

          


               
              

           
              
             

             
         
           


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
            
           
           

            
           


           
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           



         


             
             

           


             

          


           


           


         
 
           


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     
         

            

         



         

          


    
          
               

            



             
         

          
          
            


              





             
       
         
          
  

          
           
        
          
          





            

          
         
            
           
          
        



           
            





           
        

             
         




        

           





           
          
           
          
           


             
           
          
              

       





           
             
           
             
            
          
           
              


         

        
          
        

            
          


    
            
          

          
     
        

          
         
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        




            
       

          

        
             


           
           



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
         
       


            






             
         
           


            
        
             
            
         
           

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           

         

           

              









           
            
          
           


          
          


           
         

         
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


          





          
              

          
        

            





          

          
              
           


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

         



          
         

          
             
        
          
         

          
          
             

          

           
          


              
               


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
              
           


             


         

              
           
         



           

           
             
           
             









              





          

  



           
         
          


           


   
          
        
           


           
        
  
          
          

           











          
             
        
            

           

           

        
            
           
          


            

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
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
        
         

           
       

           



          

           


         
       

           



          

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         
       

         

        

          



        

       

        

        
        

          
       

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




          

            

           






          

          

          

            
         
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         
        

           

           


            

        
          




         

          
        

         
       
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          







          

          

   

         


          

         
       

         


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





          

          

        
         

           

         
         




            

       

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         
        

            

         
          

       

          
        

               
         



         
        


           

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
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


            


         


          
       

           
        

          

         
         



           
         
        

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



 







           

           

           

         


           

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           
        

 

       


          
         

        
         




        











         

          

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


       



            
       

          


        
             

          
        

         

         
          


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

          

          

         

          

          
       

          
           

         



       
       


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         

         


      


         


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         

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







0
0
2
2
4
Percent
4
Percent
6
6
8
10
8

Aspired occupations (SOC): Boys


Aspired occupations (SOC): Girls





0
0
.5
.5
1
Density
1
Density
1.5
1.5
2
2
2.5

0
.2
.4
.6
Proportion of women: Boys
.8
1
0
.2
.4
.6
.8
1
Proportion of women: Girls























































































 

















 

































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
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
  
 

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
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
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
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 
 
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
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
 


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
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


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 
 
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 
 
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
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 
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
 


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

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

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 


            

            



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



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
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


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

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
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
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

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

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


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
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

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

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



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
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
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
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 
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 
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
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
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
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
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

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

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
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

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
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
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

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
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
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


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
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
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

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
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




 










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
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









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
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

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  

 


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


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


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
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

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
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

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
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
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

 
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

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











 
 


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
   

 

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


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













 
 

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
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















 
 




 




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 
 


  
 




















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            
           

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