The Land of Opportunities : A survey of what motivates students from non-academic relations to apply for higher education.

Women all over the world have been victims for oppression during a long period of time. One main thing they were excluded from was the possibility to educate themselves. Fortunately, the situation is different today and studies shows that there are more women applying for higher-education than men, at least in Sweden. What motivates them is unknown, but according to the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, it is always something in one’s social environment. The aim of this thesis was to examine how five female students have been motivated to apply for university and college educations, despite the fact that they are from non-academic families. Which factors such as family, friends or institutions have been most significant in their choice of education? Through interviews with five female students I was able to get an insight of their thoughts about education and why they think it is important. Also, I was able to find out what their main motivation came from. I based my research on Bourdieu’s central concepts and analyzed my results on them. The reason that I only examined female students' education choices, was because Bourdieu’s surveys most often focused on male students. I concluded that my five female students were motivated by their families. Despite the non-academic background, they managed to increase their different capital forms to succeed with the higher education. The main reason for applying for university and college educations was the hope of a better future with a well-paid job