engleski

Gender disparities in human and social capital in eastern Croatia

It is believed that human and social capital are related, with human capital sometimes considered either as a subset or a partial basis of social capital. Both human and social capital are the foundation of society’s wealth and growth. The aim of this study is to explore the gender differences in human and social capital indicators. Also, relationships between various indicators of human and social capital and subjective quality of life will be presented. Human capital indicators comprise various demographic data, while social capital indicators include variables such as social support, trust, and community cohesion. This research was conducted on a sample of 356 graduate students of J. J. Strossmayer University of Osijek. Results revealed statistically significant gender differences in human and social capital variables. Women tend to score higher on social capital measures in comparison to men. According to human capital indicators, the population of eastern Croatia is aging, and consequently, a negative growth rate is present for years. When it comes to education, there is a trend of more women obtaining higher education degrees, in opposition to the historical data. Furthermore, results indicate a significant connection between social capital and subjective well- being, although various social capital indicators correlate differently with subjective quality of life. Identifying aspects of social and human capital in relation to the quality of life will contribute to better understanding of the relationship between the economic, social and psychological characteristics of individuals and the whole population, which helps in the design of socio- economic strategies at the regional level.

human capital, social capital, quality of life, gender differences

Rad je nastao u okviru projekta "Uloga subjektivne kvalitete života u namjeri mladih ljudi za iseljenjem iz regije ili zemlje" (INGI2015-39 ; voditeljica prof.dr.sc. G.Vuletić) financiranog od Sveučilišta J.J.Strossmayer u Osijeku.