Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The purpose of this survey was to study the careers of those who had taken first degrees, after a substantial interval of time since graduation.

Main Topics:

This survey is part of a two-pronged investigation of the careers of British university graduates, sponsored by the Statistics Committee of the Secretaries of University Appointments Boards. The data from the other part, a survey of employment of former postgraduate students carried out by Ernest Rudd and Stephen Hatch of Essex University, are held by the Archive as SN:66001 <i>Survey of Employment of Former Postgraduate Students, 1966</i>. The questionnaire used in this survey asked graduates about their parents, brothers and sisters, including questions on their education and the occupations of their father and grandfather. To obtain information on the families the graduates themselves had established, they were asked for the date of their marriage, their spouse's date of birth, education, occupation, employment status and salary. In addition, graduates were asked to give details, including date of birth, of each of their children born before 1st October, 1966. The questionnaire also included several questions on their own educational background and the attitudes they and their parents held about their education, both before and after entering university. In the section on undergraduate education, in addition to the first degree subject and title already available from university records, they were asked for the type and class of degree they were awarded. Details of the type, place, time and outcome of all postgraduate study were also elicited. Their own employment history, including earnings and reasons for job changes, earlier occupational aspirations and their attitudes to their present and possible future jobs occupied a substantial proportion of the questionnaire. Special attention was paid to graduates who had worked overseas; they were, for example, asked in which country they were working and their reasons for being employed overseas on 1st October, 1966. Those who were working overseas at this time were asked if they intended making a career overseas. Considerable attention was devoted to experiences specific to women. All women were asked to what extent and in what way their opportunities for appointment and promotion had been hampered by their sex. Married women were asked for details of societies or organisations they were involved in and of any responsibilities other than to their husbands and children which might affect their ability to work outside the home. They were asked to describe any help they received in the home and to detail how many hours a week this was supplied. Working wives were asked why they were working: non-working wives were asked why they were not. In addition, the wives not working outside the home were asked for how long they had worked since completing full-time study and whether they would like to take up a paid activity. A sub-sample of respondents from this survey were questioned again by Robert Rapoport, Rhona Rapoport and Michael Fogarty. These data are held as SN:68023, <i>Careers Development at Three Stages Study, Stage III: 1960 Graduates</i>.

No sampling (total universe)

total for women graduates, 50% for men

Postal survey