science

Preference theory

Preference theory is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Preference theory rather than just read about it. In short: Preference theory is a multidisciplinary (mainly sociological) theory developed by Catherine Hakim. It seeks both to explain and predict women's choices regarding investment in productive or reproductive work.

Key takeaways

Preference theory belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Preference theory to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Preference theory from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Preference theory is a multidisciplinary (mainly sociological) theory developed by Catherine Hakim. It seeks both to explain and predict women's choices regarding investment in productive or reproductive work.

Description The theory sets out five socio-economic conditions which jointly create a new scenario:

The contraceptive revolution gives women reliable control over their own fertility for the first time in history. The equal opportunities revolution gives women genuine access to all positions and occupations for the first time in history The expansion of white-collar occupations, which may be more attractive to women than men. The creation of jobs for secondary earners, such as part-time jobs, remote workers, and annual hours contracts. The increasing importance of attitudes and values in affluent modern societies, which gives everyone the freedom to choose their lifestyle. Preference theory posits that in the rare countries that have fully achieved the new scenario for women (she cites only Britain and the Netherlands), women have genuine choices as to how they resolve the conflict between paid jobs and a major investment in family life. These choices fall into three main groups: women who prioritise their careers and espouse achievement values (a work-centred lifestyle) and often remain childless by choice (about 20%); women who prioritise family life and sharing values (a home-centred lifestyle) and often have many children and little paid work (about 20%); and the majority of women who seek to combine paid jobs and family work in some way without giving absolute priority to either activity or the accompanying values (the adaptive lifestyle).

Studies Catherine Hakim carried out two national surveys, in Britain and Spain, to test the theory, and showed that questions eliciting personal preferences can strongly predict women's employment decisions and fertility. In contrast, women's behaviour did not predict their attitudes, showing that lifestyle preferences are not post hoc rationalisations. This study also showed that other sex-role attitudes do not have the same impact on women's behaviour; notably, the patriarchal values measured by most social surveys, including the European Social Survey, have virtually no impact on women's personal choices and behaviour.

Criticism Hakim's preference theory has attracted great interest in the literature, but also considerable criticism. The main criticism is that it does not demonstrate causality, that the observed preferences causes changes in fertility patterns, and that it has been suggested that actual fertility may change values and preferences. It has also been suggested that the observed effect of lifestyle preferences on achieved fertility may absorbed by other factors when controlled for. A follow-up study "found that Hakim’s typology does not work well in the Czech Republic", that there were no important differences in fertility between the three groups in that country. A second follow-up study, surveying eleven European countries, found support for the theory in only two countries (Britain and Denmark).

See also Liquidity preference Revealed preference Time preference

Further reading Baker, Joanne (January–February 2008). "The ideology of choice. Overstating progress and hiding injustice in the lives of young women: Findings from a study in North Queensland, Australia". Women's Studies International Forum. 31 (1): 53–64. doi:10.1016/j.wsif.2007.11.001.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Preference theory

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Preference theory claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Preference theory before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Preference theory ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Preference theory

In research: Preference theory appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Preference theory in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Preference theory is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Sociological theories, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Preference theory outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Preference theory in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Preference theory means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Preference theory out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Preference theory in simple terms?

Why does Preference theory matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Preference theory?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Preference theory.