The Gender Gap in Educational Attainment in the United States

New data from the U.S. Census Bureau offers a look at gender differences in educational attainment. The study found that 89.6 percent of American women over the age of 25 had graduated from high school. This is just slightly higher than the rate for men over the age of 25. Their high school graduation rate is 88.5 percent.

Some 61.6 percent of adult women have at least some college experience, compared to 58.8 percent of adult men. More than one third, 33.7 percent, of adult women had obtained at least a bachelor’s degree. For adult men in 2016, 33.2 percent had earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. For both men and women, 12.6 percent of all adult Americans held an advanced degree. More men than women hold professional degrees and doctoral degrees, but women hold a large lead in master’s degrees.

Due to the considerable advantage of women over men in current college enrollments and current degree attainments, it can be expected that the gender gap in educational attainment will expand significantly in the years ahead.

The data tables from Educational Attainment in the United States: 2016, may be downloaded here.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

Latest News

Chantae Recasner Is the Sole Finalist for the Presidency of Olympic College in Washington

Dr. Recasner has over two decades of experience as a tenured faculty member and senior administration in higher education. She has been serving as the interim president of Seattle Central University.

Vanya Quiñones Appointed President of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Dr. Quiñones, who has been serving as president of California State University, Monterey Bay, is slated to become the first Latina president of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona on July 1.

Shawna Cooper Whitehead Named the First Woman President of Regis University in Colorado

Dr. Cooper Whitehead brings extensive experience in student affairs and academic leadership to her new role. She comes to Regis university from Boston College, where she has served as vice president of student affairs since 2021.

New Provost Appointments for Three Women in Higher Education

The new provosts are Alicia Alvero at the City University of New York, Gwen Cash-James at North Idaho College, and Julie Gorlewski at the State University of New York Fredonia.

Sally Coleman Selden Appointed President of the University of Lynchburg

Currently provost at The Citadel in South Carolina, Dr. Selden previously worked for the University of Lynchburg for 18 years, ultimately serving as provost. She is slated to return to the university as president on July 1.

Assistant Professor, Clinician Educator track, in the Division of Genomic Diagnostics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania seek candidates for an Assistant Professor position in the non-tenure clinician educator track.

Communications Publications Editorial Manager (Website Content Manager)

The Website Content Manager serves as the primary website lead for the College, collaborating with team members across design, marketing, multimedia, public relations, and government affairs.

Assistant Senior Instructional Professor in the Social Sciences Core (Social Science Inquiry)

The Social Sciences Collegiate Division at the University of Chicago is now accepting applications for a full-time Assistant Senior Instructional Professor who will teach in and contribute to the management and administration of the Social Science Inquiry sequence in the Social Sciences Core.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Media Studies

The Department of Cinema & Media Studies at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia invites applications for a one-year Visiting Assistant Professor position in the field of media studies.

Instructional Professor in Law, Letters, and Society (Open Rank)

The Social Sciences Collegiate Division at the University of Chicago is now accepting applications for a full-time Instructional Professor who will teach in the program in Law, Letters, and Society.