On the Regional Labour Market Determinants of Female University Enrolment in Europe

This paper empirically investigates how young women’s decisions of investing in post-secondary education are affected by labour market outcomes of older women living in the same region. EU-SILC data on educational decisions of women who completed secondary schooling are used and indicators of the regional labour market are constructed. Exploiting regional and time variability, it is found that the share of working women with young children, of women with managerial positions and the self-employed positively affect the probability to enrol. Significant effects of these variables for men are not found.