Serving many masters: the PhD on the labour market, the everlasting need of inequality, and the premature death of Humboldt

Abstract

The paper addresses the processes and outcomes of doctoral training and their impact on the subsequent careers and work affiliations of doctoral degree holders on the bases of the results of the first large scale survey among this target group in Germany. It assesses the German experience with the doctoral degree as a ticket to multiple journeys on the labour market inside and – quantitatively more important – outside academe. Links between ‘traditional’ inequalities in the framework of the equality of opportunity discourse, ‘nontraditional’ inequalities in the framework of the life-cycle discourse, transition to employment and advanced career stages, are addressed. The overall picture that derives from the survey results shows a quite positive outcome of the PhD on the labour market. By and large, PhD matters if we compare doctoral degree holders and graduates. Selection for doctoral training is biased by social origin while later career attainment among PhD-holders is not. Thus, the ‘need of inequality’ is mainly satisfied by respective selection processes within the educational system. In contrast, the analysis supports the ‘entry-job hypotheses’ that suggests a significant impact of early career stages on later stages. The analysis shows as well that a deviation from continuous full-time employment is a clear career hindrance.

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