Attitudes Toward Economic Risk and Occupational Choice

Abstract

This paper examines the effects of attitudes toward economic risk on occupational choice. Workers with a more favourable disposition toward economic risk have a higher probability of being employed in the more prestigious, high‐paying Professional and Administrative occupations. Potential biases associated with omitted genetic and family background factors are considered. The marked differential in attitudes toward economic risk between males and females, however, makes only a minor contribution to the considerable occupational segregation on the basis of gender in the contemporary Australian labor market.

The relationship between religion and livelihood activities of women: Empirical evidence from the Yilo and Lower Manya Krobo Districts of Eastern Ghana

“…They showed that while risk averse men were more likely to choose paid employment than to be self-employed, there was no significant effect of risk preferences on women’s entrepreneurship decisions. Le et al (2014) showed that risk-seeking individuals in Australia had a higher probability of being employed in more prestigious, high paying professional and administrative occupations. One study looking at the relationship between risk preferences and occupational choice for the case of Ghana is the study by Falco (2014) .…”