Mums expect daughters to get uni degrees

Most Australian mums expect their daughters to go to university but it's a different story when asked about their sons.

Only about half (56 per cent) of mums say they expect their boys to get a university degree or post-graduate qualification, while 72 per cent expect their girls to get one, Australian Institute of Families Studies research has found.

The difference could be explained by mums thinking their boys can skip university and still get a well-paid job in construction or another male-dominated industry.

Less sexual discrimination in the workforce meant mums expect their daughters to reach for their dream job.

"Mothers were more likely to expect their daughters to go to university and less likely to expect their daughters to obtain vocational training, compared with mothers of boys," AIFS executive manager Ben Edwards said.

"They also see more opportunities for their daughters to have a high-paid occupation that requires a higher education qualification."

More than 3400 primary and high school-aged children and their mums were involved in the research.

There was merit in repeating the study to investigate whether fathers have similar expectations, the authors said.

MAJOR FINDINGS

* Mums born overseas hold the highest educational expectations for their kids

* Mums who only completed high school had the lowest expectations

* Children "mirror" the educational expectations of their mums

* Mums' expectations were linked to how well their children are doing in school

(Source: Australian Government's Australian Institute of Family Studies research)