Despite equal access to tertiary education, young adults’ career choices are still significantly gender-stereotyped (OECD, 2008). Even with the business community’s efforts to recruit skilled professionals, there is a shortage of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professions (OECD, 2008). On the other hand, in a lot of countries worldwide men are underrepresented in health sciences and education, particularly in primary education where the percentage of male teachers has declined from 60% to 20% in Switzerland within the last 50 years (BFS, 2010). This decrease in male primary school teachers is discussed critically both in terms of the worldwide teacher shortage as well as the perceived hindrance to socialization and school success of boys due to a “feminization of the teacher workforce”. As a consequence, institutions of higher education develop many varied programs for men to increase their interest in the field of teaching.

In order to plan courses of action to achieve more gender-balanced teacher education programs, it is important to understand the decision-making process of young men interested in teaching. From a sociological point of view, decision making is often explained by rational choice theory and primary and secondary effects of individual background (Boudon, 1974; Becker, 2004). From a psychological perspective the focus lies on the person-environment fit (Holland, 1997). Lent, Brown and Hackett’s (1994) social cognitive career theory explains decision making phases as an interplay of contextual influences, personal variables, learning experiences, self efficacy and outcome expectations and interests and goals. Family characteristics are part of the environmental influences and may facilitate or hinder the realization of interests.

There is a wealth of knowledge about teaching as a career choice (Rothland, 2011). Research on male student teachers has shown their attitudes to be less gender stereotypical than those of engineers (Dodson & Borders, 2006) and they show more extrinsic and less intrinsic motives than female student teachers (Malmberg, 2006). Apart from the issue of identity, support and anticipated expectations by the social network and a good fit of students’ interests and interests of their parents are influential on men’s decision to choose teacher education for their career (Bieri, Denzler & Keck, 2008; Herzog, Herzog, Brunner & Müller, 2007; Köller, Watermann, Trautwein & Lüdtke, 2004; Nieskens, 2009).

The study presented is part of a research project on “(Counter)Stereotypical Career Choice”, founded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The aim of this study is to investigate the interests, characteristics and career choice of men interested in teacher education and women interested in a STEM major who attend study information days or taster weeks in universities. The following questions are being investigated:

-       At what point in the decision making process are they?

-       What kind of differences are there between those who are already sure about their career choice and those who are still choosing between different possibilities?

-       Do men interested in primary and secondary teaching differ from each other in terms of educational background, decision making process, social network, support, learning experiences and study expectations?

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