Independence or Employability? How Gender Affects the Motivation of Young Adults to Participate in Temporary Mobility
Although educational temporary mobility, such as language stays or student exchanges, are increasingly popular among young adults, participation rates remain uneven. But whereas previous academic studies have identified gender as an important factor—young women participate more than young men—little has been written on the mechanisms behind this disparity. This article uses a mixed-method triangulation approach to analyze the impact of gender on motivational factors influencing the participation of young adults in travel programs. Using a large-scale survey of young Swiss adults (ch-x survey), we validate a set of hypotheses based on fourteen interviews conducted with male and female students attending the University of Lausanne. We begin by comparing the motivational factors influencing female and male students. Then, we consider the motivating factors influencing young adults with different educational backgrounds. The results highlight two critical dimensions of how gender affects the decision-making process: first, the acquisition of mobility capital in support of employability and, second, the increased independence gained through temporary mobility.