by Sarah Durning, CourseAdvisor
A 2007 study conducted by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation, "Behind the Pay Gap," revealed some startling news: Even at the turn of the 21st century, women's earnings are only 80% of what men's are just one year after graduating from college.
Ten years after graduation, the pay gap widens — women's earnings drop to 69% of what men earn for similar work.
The immediate pay gap is a red flag
The AAUW study used data from U.S. Department of Education, analyzing 9,000 college graduates from 1992-1993 and more than 10,000 graduates from 1999-2000. Common sense suggests that straight out of college there should be little or no gap between women's and men's earnings, since most new graduates are not yet parents and usually have equivalent work or internship experience. The pay gap right out of school is a real red flag because it appears to be the result of nothing more than gender discrimination.
Catherine Hill, AAUW's Director of Research, was as surprised as everyone else by the glaring inequality. "By looking at earnings just one year out of college, you have as level a playing field as possible," she said.
Even men and women who make the same career choices don't receive the same pay
One significant factor found to make a difference in earnings was graduates' choice of career path. Women tend to earn degrees in lower-paying careers such as education, health, and psychology while men tend to go after higher-paying degrees such as engineering, mathematics, and physical sciences.
Even within the same careers, however, there is a gap between women's and men's earnings and one year after graduation — despite the fact that women performed better than men academically, with higher grade point averages in every major.
The motherhood tradeoff
Parenthood, according to the study, also affects women's and men's earnings differently. Mothers are more likely than fathers to take parenthood leaves or to work part-time. Among women who graduated college in 1992-1993, more than 20% of those who were mothers were out of the work force a decade later and another 17% were only working part-time. Yet less than 2% of fathers from the same graduating class were out of work and less than 2% were working part-time.
The American Association of University Women isn't giving up, though. "The persistence of the pay gap among young, college-educated, full-time workers suggests that educational achievement alone will not close the pay gap," Catherine Hill said. "We need to make workplaces more family-friendly, reduce sex segregation in education and in the workplace, and combat discrimination that continues to hold women back in the workplace."
Through advocacy, research, and legislative efforts, the AAUW leadership vowed to continue their dedication to equal pay for equal work for women.
Don't let the pay gap stop you
Getting your degree is still worth doing!
Source: "Behind the Pay Gap," American Association of University Women Educational Foundation. The AAUW Educational Foundation is a leader in research on the educational and economic status of women and girls. Its research on gender equity issues raises public awareness and provides a call to action for educational institutions, policymakers, legislators, and the public.
The AAUW Educational Foundation is also one of the world's largest sources of funding exclusively for graduate women. Together with the American Association of University Women, a leading advocate for equity and education for women and girls since 1881, the Educational Foundation has adopted a multi-year programmatic focus, Education as the Gateway to Women's Economic Security.
Sarah Durning is a content editor at CourseAdvisor.
