Ethnic segregation across fields of study in the Netherlands

Studies on the educational attainment of the second generation have largely focused on vertical ethnic stratification, whereas less is known about ethnic differences in fields of study, i.e., “horizontal ethnic stratification.” In this contribution, I examined study choices among the second generation, i.e., children born in the host country with at least one foreign-born parent. I studied the four largest non-European Union (EU) ethnic groups in the Netherlands, i.e., those from Turkey, Morocco, Suriname, and Dutch Antilles, while comparing their choices with ethnic majority members (i.e., those with two native-born parents). I relied on a pooled dataset of annual large-scale labour force surveys conducted in the Netherlands (2003–2018). The results of this study largely confirm the materialism hypothesis. Evidence suggests that – as compared with the ethnic majority population – fields of study with better economic prospects are more popular among these four non-EU ethnic groups. The traditionalism hypothesis predicted that gender segregation in the fields of study would be more pronounced among second-generation Turks and Moroccans than among ethnic majority members and the Dutch Caribbean groups. Results, however, suggest that the greater levels of gender segregation are found among the ethnic majority group.