Is work experience during higher education gendered? Access and outcomes in the UK

In this article, we compare the early career outcomes of women and men after completing their first HE qualification in the UK. We problematise the individualised concept of career and employability as dependent only on individuals’ efforts and decisions ignoring structural constraints on their choices, and the role of employer demand in labour market outcomes. We use longitudinal graduate tracking survey data from the UK (Futuretrack) to investigate graduates’ transitions into the labour market. Using regression analysis, we investigate how the opportunity to access work experience activities during undergraduate education varies by gender. We then look at the labour market outcomes (getting a job, wages and perceived skills match) associated with different work experience activities. We find that access to and outcomes of work experience are gendered in the UK, shedding light on the gendered organisation of HE and labour market transition.