College Does Very Little to Eliminate the Gender Wage Gap

A new study by Antoinette Flores of the Center for American Progress found that for students who participated in federal financial aid programs while in college, working women’s earnings 10 years after they first enrolled in college are lower than working men’s earnings only six years after enrolling in colleges.

A key detail released in the report is that “for students from the nation’s most elite colleges, men’s earnings outpace women’s by tens of thousands of dollars each year, with gaps showing up soon after they enter the workforce.”

Flores concludes that “institutions and policymakers must pay more attention to other elements of higher education besides completion that might affect what someone earns. This includes what major students choose, their path to graduate school, and what career opportunities they receive.”

Flores holds a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College in Massachusetts and a master’s degree from the George Mason University School of Public Policy.

The study, The Big Difference Between Women and Men’s Earnings After College: More College Degrees, Lower Wages, may be downloaded by clicking here.