abstract: 'Gender segregation in fields of study represents an important

  explanation for gender inequalities in the labor market, such as the

  gender wage gap. Research shows that horizontal gender segregation in

  higher education persists for a variety of reasons, including women''s

  greater communal goals and men''s greater motivation to earn high

  incomes. Yet with the male breadwinner model in decline, a key question

  is whether women''s motivation to earn high incomes might contribute to

  increasing women''s participation in female-atypical fields of study.

  Using data from the German Student Survey over a period of 30 years, our

  findings show that the proportion of women enrolled in female-atypical

  fields of study increased from 1984 to 2015. Moreover, women''s

  motivation to earn high incomes mediates the effect of time on

  enrollment in female-atypical fields of study. Their motivation to earn

  high incomes might thus be a factor contributing to the disruption of

  gender segregation in fields of study over time. Furthermore, contrary

  to expectations, the motivation to earn high incomes as a driving force

  for women to opt for gender-atypical fields of study is not stratified

  by social background.'
affiliation: 'Galos, DR (Corresponding Author), Univ Konstanz, Univ Str 10, D-78464
  Constance, Germany.

  Galos, Diana Roxana; Strauss, Susanne, Univ Konstanz, Univ Str 10, D-78464 Constance,
  Germany.'
author: Galos, Diana Roxana and Strauss, Susanne
author-email: diana.galos@uni-konstanz.de
author_list:
- family: Galos
  given: Diana Roxana
- family: Strauss
  given: Susanne
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1007/s10734-022-00866-0
earlyaccessdate: MAY 2022
eissn: 1573-174X
files: []
issn: 0018-1560
journal: HIGHER EDUCATION
keywords: Gender; Fields of study; Motivation; Income; Time; Social background
keywords-plus: 'COLLEGE MAJOR CHOICE; HIGHER-EDUCATION; SEX SEGREGATION; EMPLOYMENT

  PATTERNS; FEMALE EMPLOYMENT; MALE BREADWINNER; CAREER CHOICES;

  WEST-GERMANY; ROLE-MODELS; INEQUALITIES'
language: English
month: APR
number: '4'
number-of-cited-references: '63'
orcid-numbers: 'Strauss, Susanne/0000-0001-9875-2179

  Galos, Diana Roxana/0000-0002-7907-412X'
pages: 795-817
papis_id: ba021041ad5fbc51a719e84abdd64a4d
ref: Galos2023whydo
times-cited: '1'
title: Why do women opt for gender-atypical fields of study? The increasing role of
  income motivation over time
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000797783300001
usage-count-last-180-days: '3'
usage-count-since-2013: '7'
volume: '85'
web-of-science-categories: Education \& Educational Research
year: '2023'