Male undergraduates’ aim for IT and engineering, women retail and the media

Employers should tailor their marketing to attract more men or women, according to a study that found a large gender gap between undergraduates’ career choices.
Wed, 13 Aug 2014Employers should tailor their marketing to attract more men or women, according to a study that found a large gender gap between undergraduates’ career choices.

IT and engineering were the most popular choices for men, and retail and the media top for women, according to research by jobs board TARGETjobs.

Chris Phillips, research director at GTI Media/TARGETjobs said: “Clearly, some career sectors need to assess how they tailor their marketing to attract more men – or more women.”

Of the undergraduates who picked the retail sector as their most interesting sector, 90% were female and 10% were male. In IT and technology, 70% were men and 30% women. The study questioned 1,500 first-year university students in May 2014.

Meanwhile, a study by the Independent Commission on Fees highlighted the difficulties that disadvantaged students’ face to secure places in top universities. Students from the most advantaged areas are nearly 10 times more likely to study at a top university than those from the most disadvantaged areas, according to the report

In 2013, 9.5 times more advantaged students took up places at the 13 most selective universities than disadvantaged students, compared to 9.8 in 2010, according to the commission’s analysis of UCAS data.

In 2013, advantaged students were 9.5 times more likely than disadvantaged students to take up a place at the 13 most selective universities. This compares to 9.8 times more likely in 2010, according to the commission’s analysis of UCAS data.

Will Hutton, chair of the Independent Commission on Fees, said: “While we welcome the recovery in the proportion of 18 year olds taking up places at university after the introduction of higher fees in 2012, serious gaps in access to university remain.”

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