Iranian female graduates and their employment situation

Author(s):

Ebrahim Salehi Omranparvin Aliakbarnia Omran

Conference:

ECER 2010

Network:

22. Research in Higher Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

22 SES 02 C, Employability and Transition to Work of Higher Education Graduates

Paper Session

Time:

2010-08-25

11:15-12:45

Room:

M.B. SALI 16, Päärakennus / Main Building

Chair:

Sheila Trahar

Contribution

During the recent years, Iranian women have shown an increasing interest to study in universities. Now, women include 60 percent of university entrance applicants. This paper reports on research investigating the relationship between women participation in universities, and their employment situation. To analysis the findings different theoretical views are considered including cost benefit theory, public choice theory, conflict theory, feminist theory and human capital theory. This paper explains the employment's situation among female graduates in different majors with the following questions: 1. What is the degree of the availability of employment for the female graduates? 2. What is the degree of the availability of employment in the main university department for the female graduates? 3. In the case of the availability of employment for the female graduate, what are the effective factors in attracting female graduates to the labour market? 4. In the case of the non availability of employment for the female graduates, what are the obstructions for entering the job market?

Method

In order to do the research, quantitative data were collected from a groups of female graduates in terms of different faculties from the University of Mazandaran which can be taken as representative of universities in Iran to-day. A survey of graduates from the Mazandaran University was conducted, with 292 graduates being randomly selected from the university to represent across 4 faculties (including humanities and social sciences, engineering, agriculture, basic science). Questionnaires were mailed to individual graduates' home address to be returned directly to the research project base within the university. A total of 169 usable responses (response rate 58%) were obtained. Before sending questionnaires, complementary suggests of fellow–members and also doing pilot study on number of graduates had been used to increase its validity.

Expected Outcomes

Between 167 graduated woman of the university ، 56.9 percent were employ and 43 percent of them were unemployed between graduated employs ، 56 percent were in services Sectors ، 32 percent were in industry sectors and 10 percent were in agriculture sectors. Between the sample of research (employed, graduated woman) 84 percent related to technical and engineering fields، 56 percent was related to human science fields ،50 percent was related to basic science fields and at last 38 percent related to agriculture science field in consideration the effective factors in attraction of market ، graduated woman believed that factors like knowledge and accessed information during studying in university ، heaving good match of jobs with studying fields and practicable skills which access during trainings were effective in accessing job. These founds remembers planners of higher education that in higher education planning pay attention on demand side instead of supply side.

References

Carnoy. M. (1994) The economics of education, then and now. In Husen T. Eastom p. & s. kless (1990) Education and the Economy: considering Alternative perspective; prospect, vol.20. NO. 4, PP. 413-428. Elmi, Z. (2004) Macro-economic policies and the labor market for women in Iran. A Quarterly Journal of the Centre for Women's Studies. University of Tehran. No. 2. P. 17-32 (In Persian). Fagerlind, I. & L.G Saha (1986) Education and National Development: A comparative perspective; 2 nd edn. Pergamon press, oxford Halsey, A.H et al. (1997) Education culture, economy, society; oxford, London: oxford university press, p .9 & 255. Higgins, P. and Shoar-Ghattari, P. (1994) Women’s education in the Islamic Republic of Iran, In Afkhami, M. and Friedl, E. (eds) In the eye of the storm: women in post-revolutionary Iran,19-43, London & New York: Syracuse University Press. Jayaweera, S. (1997); ‘Women, Education, and Empowerment in Asia “; Gender and Education, vol. 9, No. 4, pp.411-423. Poya, M. (1999) Women, Work, and Islamism; London & N we York: zed Book ltd. Press. Rezai-Rashti, M.G. (1989) Iran, in Kelly, G.P (Ed) International Handbook of Women's Education; U.S.A. New York: Greenwood press, pp.455-471. Salehi Omran, E. (2004) Labor market changing, higher education expansion and social capital. Paper for the Conference of higher education and sustainable development. Vol. 1 .Tehran. Institute for research and planning in higher education. (In Persian). Salehi Omran, E. (2004) Theoretical perspectives on the development of higher education. Daneshver Raftar. Shahed University. No. 5. P. 55-68 (In Persian). Salehi Omran. E. (2002);" "Expansion of Higher Education and Women's Participation in Iran"; Journal of Humanities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Vol.9, No.4, pp.1-14.

Author Information

Ebrahim Salehi Omran

Mazandaran university

education

Babolsar

parvin Aliakbarnia Omran

Mazandaran university, Iran, Islamic Republic of

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