A new study tying college degrees to higher professional incomes concludes that of the 20 top “lucrative” bachelor degrees, men are three times more likely than women to obtain those degrees.
The study from Bankrate.com also noted those collegians majoring in the most female-dominated majors in the study are falling behind financially. “This reflects a gender gap in the most lucrative college degrees that still exists, despite progress made in the past few decades,” the report noted.
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The study also noted all of the top-20 highest-earning majors (by median income) in the study were all in the STEM field, i.e., majors focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
“All of the college majors towards the bottom of the list are in the arts,” Bankrate stated.
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Of the top-20 highest-paying college majors, 78% of graduates holding those degrees are male. “That list includes Electrical Engineering (85% male with a median salary of $110,000), Computer Engineering (81% male, median salary of $104,000), and Chemical Engineering (70% male, median salary of $100,000),” the study said.
Yet female-dominated college majors earn significantly less than their male peers.
“Of the majors that have the highest percentage of female degree holders, only one has a median salary of above $60,000 (Nursing, which is 89% female with a median salary of $70,000 annually),” the report noted.
While numerous studies show women outpacing males in U.S. colleges and universities, it’s the “same old” when it comes to graduating degree outcomes.
“Despite making progress in recent decades, men continue to disproportionately dominate college majors that lead to the highest salaries in the workforce,” said Bankrate analyst Alex Gailey. “The fact that the male-female gender gap in lucrative college majors remains so vast after decades of women outnumbering men on college campuses suggests that women are still playing catch-up.”
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