The Relationship Between Social and Academic Integration and Dropout from a Gender-Atypical Vocational Education

Abstract

Gender segregation has been an issue in the Finnish education system for decades. Since the system is highly profession-oriented, gender-segregated fields of education tend to result in gender-segregated occupations, which is one of the main contributors of the gender pay gap. Several studies have researched dropouts from tertiary education but there are fewer articles on dropouts from vocational education and training (VET), although the dropout rates are the highest at VET. It is proposed that men studying in female-dominated or women in male-dominated fields of education might have a higher dropout risk than students in gender-typical study programs. If students with a gender minority status drop out from fields dominated by one gender, it does not only have implications on the gender pay gap and gender equality in labor markets but also on gender equality in the whole society. This study aims to provide information about dropouts from gender-atypical fields in VET. First, I study if students in gender-atypical fields drop out more often than students in gender-typical and -balanced fields. Next, I apply Tinto’s student integration theory to study the relationship between social and academic integration and dropout. Finally, I analyse the interaction effects between indicators of social and academic integration, and gender-typical, -balanced and -atypical students. The dataset combines two waves of Vocational School Student Surveys. The analysis method is binary logistic regression with interaction models. Female students in gender-atypical fields drop out more often than their peers in gender-typical fields, but students in gender-balanced fields have the highest relative dropout risk. A similar relationship was not found in men. Social and academic integration did not explain the differences in women’s dropout behavior between gender-typical, balanced, and atypical study programs.