Is motivation towards university sufficient? The three-way interaction among gender, socioeconomic status, and academic motivation on perceived employability

Socioeconomic and gender-bound barriers may be considered risk factors for the youth, barring them from a hopeful future. This study aims to investigate how university students’ motivation for higher education and perceived employability are related to the interaction with these barriers. Therefore, this study examined the interaction between gender, perceived socioeconomic status (PSES), and academic motivation on perceived employability. Subsequently, three-way interactions between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations were analysed. The sample consists of 417 undergraduate students (261 women and 156 men), and the data were collected using online forms. The results showed that the strength of the relationship between extrinsic motivation and perceived employability varied depending on the level of interaction between PSES and gender. This relationship was weaker for women with low PSES and stronger for both men with low PSES and women with high PSES. However, the interaction of gender and PSES did not have a significant moderator effect on intrinsic motivation and perceived employability. These findings were discussed in the context of gender and socio-economic inequalities, and implications for career guidance and higher education policies were presented.