Victoria research team looks for ‘missing men’

victoria-university-of-wellington

Tue Apr 03 2007 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Victoria research team looks for ‘missing men’

Tuesday, 3 April 2007, 4:20 pm
Press Release: Victoria University of Wellington

3 April 2007

While it’s well known that how well people do at school and post-secondary education is a key factor in determining their future employment and wellbeing, a $1.7 million Victoria University project aims to find out why males are participating in tertiary education at significantly lower rates than women.

Dr Paul Callister, a Senior Research Fellow in the Institute of Policy Studies, part of Victoria’s School of Government, is the principal researcher in the project, which involves social scientists from two universities, Statistics New Zealand, the private sector, and iwi groups.

It is funded by the Foundation for Research, Science & Technology’s Building Inclusive Societies Fund and is one of five research projects announced today by the Foundation worth $12.9 million.

“Research by the Institute has shown a widening gap in both participation and achievement between women and men, especially within Māori and Pacific populations. We want to understand the phenomenon of these ‘missing men’ and address issues such as how the gender gap differs by geographic community, how labour market outcomes are influenced by this gap, and how male educational achievement can be improved. ”

As well, the three-year project will be linked to gendered migration, he said.

“Gender is a critical, but under-researched, variable when considering issues such as the ‘brain drain’ and how changes in New Zealand’s labour market may need a different mix of skills and developing policies not only to attract high quality immigrants, but to keep talented New Zealanders in the country, and to attract back expatriates.”

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Pro Vice-Chancellor (Government Relations), Professor Tony Smith, congratulated Dr Callister and the team on their successful grant application.

“This project is a fine example of the resources and networks the Institute and the School of Government can muster to bring intensive research into an area of key public policy concern. Our strategic partnership with the State Services Commission means the School is a ‘one-stop-shop’ that provides access to all the relevant expertise which the public sector needs, either directly or by calling upon those with specialist knowledge within the University and elsewhere.”

The project will use a wide range of sources to produce its data, including: Ministry of Education enrolment and attainment data; the Census of Population and Dwellings; a Victoria University youth ‘connectedness’ longitudinal study; and a survey of New Zealand expatriates as well as some case studies.

ENDS

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