More young women trained in a specific discipline

Young people, and more particularly young women,  are more likely to be educated in a certain discipline: relatively more of them have completed advanced levels of education, i.e. senior secondary vocational education (mbo) or higher education.

Three-quarters educated in a discipline

Three-quarters of the Dutch population aged 25–64 years had completed post-secondary education in a certain discipline in 2006. Most of them had a diploma in one of the disciplines ‘health care, social services and care’, ‘technology’, or ‘economics, commercial management and administration’. The remaining quarter had completed ‘general’ education at primary school or secondary school (mavo, havo or vwo) level. 

Women catching up

Relatively more younger people (25-44 years) have completed a specific discipline of post-secondary education than people in the age group 45 -65 years. This is mainly the result of the higher number of women continuing their education. The number of women with only primary education has decreased.
For men there are hardly any differences between the two generations. Four out of five young as well as older men had completed post-secondary education in a certain discipline.

Post-secondary education in a specific discipline of people no longer in education, by age, sex and level, 2006

More young people choose economics

Younger people opted for different disciplines than the older generation. Economics, for example, is more popular among the younger part of the population. Nineteen percent of people aged 25-44 years have an background in economics, compared with 12 percent of 45–64 year-olds. This, too, was mainly the consequence of the increased participation of women.
In addition, older people are more likely than younger people to have done teacher training or to have trained in one of the care disciplines.
Another point worth mentioning is that younger men and women still show the traditional divide; men choose technology and engineering, women care disciplines.  On the other hand, the level of education has risen for women, while for men it has remained the same.

Post-secondary disciplines of people no longer in education by age (women), 2006

Post-secondary disciplines of people no longer in education by age (men), 2006

Francis van der Mooren and Robert de Vries