Girls or Boys: The Prestige of a Field of Study Does Not Influence Their Educational Choices in the Same Way

Article by Magali Jaoul-Grammare and Claude Diebolt published on September 21, 2026, in The Conversation. Original title: « Filles ou garçons : le prestige des études n’influence pas leurs choix d’orientation de la même manière ».

In this article, the authors discuss the main findings of a recent study published in the journal Formation et emploi. Focusing on the influence of the social prestige of professions on educational choices, this research draws on more than 120 years of data on university enrollment in France and shows that this factor plays an important role in students’ educational trajectories, but in different ways depending on gender.

Further reading: Claude Diebolt & Magali Jaoul-Grammare, « Choix des études et prestige des professions : une question de genre ? », Formation emploi [Online], 175 | July–September 2026, published online August 1, 2026 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/16nfl)