The winding (but satisfying) pathways of researchers in sociology: descriptive evidence from a large-scale Italian survey

This paper uses a large-scale national survey of students who completed a three-year degree between 2004 and 2010 to analyse the employment found by sociology graduates in Italy. We especially focus on graduates working in the research sector that, while representing the ‘future’ of the discipline, are facing major employment challenges, due to the problems both the public and private italian research industries are grappling with. The analysis explored various aspects of this subpopulation. Firstly, it investigated whether graduates in research differ from other groups in terms of their social backgrounds and/or previous education pathways. Secondly, the employment found by such people was examined, looking at the contractual terms, the nature of the work being done, the skills required and the contribution provided by their learning pathways. The result is a detailed picture of graduates employed in the research sector, that shows critical elements (job insecurity, low pay and several deficiencies in the education received) along with positive ones (a significant use of the skills acquired and a general sense of job satisfaction). The conclusion seeks to translate these results into practical policy considerations for training future researchers in sociology.