Assessment of relationship between occupational aspirations and profile of rural youth by using path analysis

Abstract

The present study was conducted with the specific objective of “To study the relationship between profile of rural youth and their occupational aspirations”. For the study, Parbhani, Nanded, Hingoli and Jalna districts were selected randomly from Marathwada region. From each districts two talukas were selected randomly. From each taluka three villages were selected randomly and from each village ten rural youth were selected randomly. Thus total sample size 240. According to National Youth Policy India 2014, youths between the age of 15 to 29 from all educational streams were selected. Ex-post facto research design was adopted in this study. With the help of path analysis statistical tool, total effect, direct effect, indirect effect and substantial indirect effect was calculated. It was observed that among independent variables, the highest positive total effect on overall occupational aspirations of rural youth was exerted by mass media, economic motivation, social participation, risk orientation, land holding, family type, father’s education, family occupation, respondent’s education, gender, family size and mother’s education whereas family annual income exerting low and negative total effect on occupational aspirations of rural youth then total direct highest effect on occupational aspirations of rural youth was exerted by economic motivation followed by mass media exposure, social participation, family type, risk orientation, land holding, father’s education, gender, respondent’s education, family occupation, family size, mother’s education whereas annual income exerting low and negative direct effect then again the highest total indirect effect on occupational aspirations of rural youth was exerted by mass media, economic motivation, social participation, risk orientation whereas annual income exerting low and negative total indirect effect on occupational aspirations. It was observed that the first substantial indirect effect on occupational aspirations of rural youth was exerted by risk orientation through economic motivation and second substantial indirect effect was exerted by land holding through economic motivation. Thus it was observed that respondent’s education, land holding, mass media exposure, economic motivation and risk orientation were important variable in the absence of which, independent variable are not able to influence the overall occupational aspirations of rural youth.