Educational Inequalities Among School Leavers in Ireland 1979-1994

THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL REVIEW

have changed over time, can be assessed using a multinomial logit model.⁹ The
results from this model are presented in Table 3 separately for males and females,
with completion of the junior and senior cycles contrasted against leaving school

Table 3: Multinomial Logit Model for Males and Females of Educational Level
Completed (contrasted against No Qualifications; additive estimates)

Note: *** p<.001, ** p<.01, * p<.05.

9. A multinomial logit model allows us to assess the effect of the explanatory variables on the log
odds of departing following the Intermediate/Junior Certificate and the Leaving Certificate versus
leaving school without qualifications. A positive coefficient indicates increased chances of leaving
school at that level while a negative coefficient indicates reduced chances. Thus, in Table 3 a female
from a farming background (+2.243) is more likely to leave school after the Leaving Certificate than
those in the reference category of unskilled manual backgrounds. This coefficient can be transformed
into an odds ratio whereby young women from a farming background are nine times more likely to
complete the Leaving Certificate than those from an unskilled background.

<<   <   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   >   >>