Volume 48 - Article 6 | Pages 153–188
The educational gradient in young singlehood: The role of gender and the gender climate
Abstract
Background: Universities are described as “waiting halls” for union formation. However, little is known about the size of the educational gradient in single living after leaving home.
Objective: This paper examines the educational gradient in single living after leaving home in 30 European countries and the role of gender and the gender climate in each country for this gradient.
Methods: I use data from the European Social Survey, supplemented with data from the OECD and European Values Study for the contextual measures. Predicted probabilities for single living are compared across educational groups, genders, and countries. Using random slope models with an interaction between education and the gender climate, I examine whether the educational gradient is larger in less gender-egalitarian countries.
Results: The results show, on average, a positive educational gradient in single living after leaving home. However, there is substantial variation in its size. First, the gradient is larger among women. Second, there are cross-national differences in the size of the gradient and gender differences in the gradient. The cross-national variation depends on the gender climate in the country. Among women, the educational gradient is smaller in countries with a higher women’s labor force participation.
Conclusions: The results show that stratification in single living after leaving home is especially prominent among women in less gender-egalitarian countries.
Contribution: The article presents a comprehensive overview of the educational gradient in single living after leaving home by gender and country, demonstrating the importance of the gender climate.
Author’s Affiliation
- Lonneke van den Berg - Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, the Netherlands EMAIL
Most recent similar articles in Demographic Research
Socioeconomic development and Chinese young adults’ propensity to live alone: An extended replication study
Volume 51 - Article 31
| Keywords:
living alone,
one-person households,
socioeconomic development,
young adults
Climate change and fertility desires: An experimental study among university students in Belgium and Italy
Volume 51 - Article 2
| Keywords:
Belgium,
climate change,
fertility desires,
Italy,
students,
young adults
Solo living in the process of transitioning to adulthood in Europe: The role of socioeconomic background
Volume 48 - Article 3
| Keywords:
cross-national comparison,
Europe,
leaving home,
life course,
living alone,
trajectories,
transition to adulthood
Socioeconomic development and young adults’ propensity of living in one-person households: Compositional and contextual effects
Volume 44 - Article 11
| Keywords:
Asians,
family,
household structure,
living alone,
living arrangements,
one-person households
The educational gradient of living alone: A comparison among the working-age population in Europe
Volume 40 - Article 55
| Keywords:
age,
educational gradient,
Europe,
gender,
living alone,
working-age
Cited References: 73
Download to Citation Manager
PubMed
Google Scholar