ERIC Number: EJ1388069
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1363-9080
EISSN: EISSN-1469-9435
The Uneven Earnings Benefits for Men and Women of Skills Acquisition in a Virtual University
Journal of Education and Work, v36 n4 p310-327 2023
Using multivariate linear regression models, this study estimates the relationship between graduates' self-reported skill improvements from attending a virtual university, the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), and their salaries after obtaining the degree. Our results show that graduates made considerable earnings gains and especially high rates of return to investing in a Master's degree. Reported earnings by male and female UOC students are 31% and 18% higher than their gender-age counterparts to university graduates in the Spanish labour market. They also benefited from unintended returns in terms of enhanced digital skills, even among graduates who were not enrolled in ICT-related degrees. The improvement they reported in these skills contributed to earnings gains, but only for males. As such, acquiring digital skills for women seems to have little impact on how much they are rewarded in the labour market. This suggests that the types of jobs held by women in Catalonia probably do not specifically reward digital skills. Since UOC graduates are generally older and employed during their studies, the gains made by women may be more related to the fact that they obtained a degree that led to a promotion rather than any specific skills acquired in their studies.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Virtual Universities, Open Universities, College Graduates, Distance Education, Gender Differences, Labor Market, Income, Salaries, Masters Programs, Digital Literacy, Job Skills, Promotion (Occupational), Lifelong Learning
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Spain
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A