Women Have More College Degrees, Men Make More ... What's the deal?
It’s time for another good idea, bad idea (50 points if you can name the TV show that’s from). Good idea: for the first time ever, women are earning more graduate degrees than men. Bad idea: men, for the most part, are still making more money than women for the same amount of work.
The stats that support these facts:
- The U.S. Census reports that among adult females 25 and older there are 10.6 million with a Master’s degree or higher. That’s in comparison to 10.5 million men.
- They also state that more working women than men have college degrees
- Catalyst has found that in 2010, the median weekly earnings of full-time working women was $669, compared to $824 for men.
- The White House Council on Women and Girls released the report, Women in America, which found that women still earn (on average) 75 cents for every dollar a man earns.
What the questions boil down to isn’t why, but what can we do about this?
As we’ve seen, women are already pursuing more degrees than men. So how do we go about getting equal pay as men for being full-time, year-round workers like them? A couple of thoughts:
Studies have proven that how much you make can easily be tied to your college major. Since women are still earning fewer degrees in science, engineering and business, we’re missing out on some of the highest paying jobs.
As women, we’re used to being the peace keepers. And while that’s great in our personal lives, it doesn’t exactly translate to the workplace. In fact, it seems like we’re less likely to ask for the salaries we believe we’re worth.
- Solution: Research what your position should earn by using tools like PayScale to get an idea of what you’re worth. Then put on your big girl pants and ask for it.
What are your thoughts? How can the playing field be leveled out so that men and women can earn the same salary for the same amount of work?
