Study shows limited progress in closing the gender gap in lucrative college majors

While women outnumber men on college campuses and in the college-educated workforce, a new Bankrate analysis finds there’s been little progress in closing the gender gap among the 20 highest-earning majors over the past decade.

The analysis, which focused on the latest data on college graduates from the U.S. Census Bureau, found that women accounted for just 26 percent of graduates with the 20 highest-paying bachelor’s degrees in 2022 — up 2 percentage points from 2012.

Only six of the 20 highest-paying bachelor’s degrees — pharmacy, health and medical preparatory programs, civil engineering, chemistry, chemical engineering and industrial and manufacturing engineering — have posted notable gains in female graduates between 2012 and 2022. Census data showed an uptick between 5 and 9 percentage points among those majors during that period.

Experts said one reason why we don’t see more women gravitating toward those higher-paying fields is that traditional gender influences are still at play. With women disproportionately responsible for unpaid caregiving of loved ones, they are more likely to gravitate toward fields that offer more work flexibility for family responsibilities – roles that are already dominated by women. Even when women and men study the same subject, research by labor economist Carolyn Sloane shows women sort into lower-paying jobs when they get out of school. Conversely, men tend to prioritize pay when selecting a college major, placing them on higher-paying career pathways.

Many advocacy groups recognize this issue and have been encouraging more girls to go into STEM fields that generate higher average earnings over the last few decades, but progress has been slow and uneven. In some cases, women appear to be even less represented now than they were a decade ago.

“To foster long-term retention, it is essential to focus not only on recruitment but also on cultivating inclusive workplace environments where women feel valued and supported,” said Nicole Smith, research professor and chief economist at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

According to the Census, ten out of the 20 highest-paying degrees saw little to no growth in the percentage of female graduates between 2012 and 2022, while four out of the 20 highest-paying degrees experienced declines in female graduates during that same period. Workers with the 20 highest-paying bachelor’s degrees typically earn more than $100,000 a year, compared with an annual median of $80,000 for a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

Research by the Census, as well as several studies by economists, finds that the differing preferences in college majors between men and women is at least partly responsible for the gender pay gap once men and women enter the workforce. Women with at least a bachelor’s degree earned 79 cents for every dollar earned by men with the same level of education, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center analysis.

Men make up the majority of graduates with high-paying bachelor’s degrees

The latest Census data shows that female graduates remain in the minority in 19 of the 20 highest-paying bachelor’s degrees. They post their strongest numbers in health-related majors like pharmacy, health and medical preparatory programs and nursing but remain underrepresented in engineering, computer science and other science-related fields.

From 2012 to 2022, the percentage of women with pharmacy bachelor’s degrees rose 9 percentage points, while it rose 7 percentage points in health and medical preparatory programs. Both of those majors have a more even split between female and male graduates as of 2022.

Elsewhere, the share of female engineers rose unevenly since 2012, depending on the specialty. Chemical engineering, civil engineering and industrial and manufacturing engineering had a 5-percentage-point increase in female graduates. The percentage of female graduates with other types of engineering degrees — such as aerospace, electrical, computer, general and mechanical — increased between 2 and 4 percentage points from 2012 to 2022.

As of 2022, women make up less than a third of graduates who have engineering degrees within the top 20 for salary. Smith said, in part, this is likely due to the growth of engineering jobs overall in the tech industry, which means the proportion of men has increased despite a higher share of women entering STEM over the last decade.

Several bachelor’s degrees in the top 20 for salary experienced declines in female graduates between 2012 and 2022. That includes:

• Computer science (-1 percentage point)
• Applied mathematics (-4 percentage points)
• Information sciences (-5 percentage points)
• Management information systems and statistics (-6 percentage points).

According to Smith, a key factor contributing to the pay gap among women in STEM is the distribution of women across different STEM specialties. Many of the STEM specialties where women are more highly represented tend to offer lower salaries compared to more male-dominated specialties.

For example, biology—where women constitute a significant portion of the workforce—generally has lower average earnings than engineering or computer science, which remain male-dominated.

“This occupational segregation within STEM plays a crucial role in shaping income disparities, alongside broader systemic barriers such as promotion challenges and pay inequities,” Smith said.

Women dominate lower-earning bachelor’s degrees

Women have been disproportionately concentrated in some of the lowest-earning bachelor’s degrees over the last decade and continue to be today. Women make up 63 percent of graduates in the 20 lowest-paying bachelor’s degrees as of 2022.

Generally, bachelor’s degrees with a higher share (at least 60 percent) of women have relatively lower earnings than those with a higher share (at least 60 percent) of men. For example, graduates with degrees in early childhood education, communication disorders sciences and services and family and consumer sciences – which attract relatively large shares of women – tend to find jobs that pay in the range of $43,000 to $57,000, according to the Census.

See how the percentage of female graduates compares to the percentage of male graduates in the 20 lowest-paying bachelor’s degrees as of 2022:

Why are women more heavily concentrated in lower-paying majors?

Sloane said gender stereotypes, societal norms and external pressures heavily influence how women and men sort into different college majors. For example, there are cultural norms around women providing more child and elder care and entering certain professions — which helps explain why women make up 96 percent of college graduates in early childhood care.

Knowing this, Sloane said women may choose not to sort into fields that do not offer much flexibility relative to other occupations, or they may exit low-flexibility occupations as they start families.

“We see gender segregation in the academic fields that lead to those [lower-paying] occupations, which may suggest women may be making field selection choices based on flexibility long before they apply for jobs,” Sloane said. “To see more progress in fields such as finance and engineering, especially in management careers in those fields, we would need to see more flexibility such as flexible leave, flexible work hours and work-from-home options.”

Historically, STEM fields have been associated with masculinity, which can discourage girls and women from pursuing STEM education and careers. Even when women do enter STEM fields, they are much more likely to exit at higher rates because of potential discrimination, lack of flexibility for caregiving and gender imbalances in the workplace, according to Sloane.

Men and women also tend to have different priorities when choosing a job. Smith said her research finds that men are more likely to consider fields that pay well and offer opportunities for promotion, whereas women are more inclined to consider fields that focus on helping others.

“In general, women are disproportionately nurturers and caregivers, and you would find that those are the types of fields they tend to gravitate toward,” Smith said. “There are always exceptions to the rule, but  it’s not necessarily just a decision that’s driven by money and finances.”

3 ways women can boost their earnings, regardless of their major

Differing major choices between men and women ultimately influence labor outcomes and help maintain the overall gender wage gap. But even when women do enter a high-paying field – such as STEM — with similar qualifications to their male colleagues, Pew Research shows they often still make less.

This suggests that the glass ceiling—the barrier women face in advancing to the top of their professions— persists today, and other factors undercut their earning potential, such as gender bias and the so-called motherhood “penalty,” which refers to a drop in a women’s earnings after starting a family. Working moms earn less than working fathers on average because many of them accept lower pay for more flexibility, work fewer hours or leave the workforce altogether to balance caregiving responsibilities.

While the pay gap is a systemic issue shaped by many forces beyond women’s control, they’re often forced to take equal pay into their own hands and find creative ways to ensure their investment in college pays off. Here are three ways women can boost their earnings once they enter the workforce, regardless of what they studied in college:

Negotiate with confidence

Failing to negotiate for higher pay – especially on your first salary – can have a negative long-term impact on your earnings potential. According to a Fidelity Investments study, nearly 60 percent of Americans accept the first salary figure quoted to them, but 87 percent of those who negotiated got at least some of what they requested. If women don’t negotiate, it could lead to a loss of as much as $500,000 by the time they’re 60 years old, according to a study cited by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever, authors of “Women Don’t Ask.”

A key part of successful negotiation is having confidence in what you’re saying, backed by data and research. Women can build their confidence by preparing what they want to say in advance and practicing several times with a coach or friend. Research your market value using resources like GlassDoor, Payscale and Salary.com to ensure you’re compensated fairly for your skills and experience. When trying to negotiate a job offer, don’t limit yourself to just asking for more money. Benefits and work flexibility are also on the table during the negotiation process.

Practice salary transparency with peers

Talking openly about your salary with other peers in your industry can be a powerful tool to empower yourself and other women to negotiate for better pay and benefits. Salary transparency can also help expose and address gender pay disparities within your industry, which is valuable information when determining fair pay for your experience and skills. To navigate the awkwardness of discussing salaries, financial experts suggest taking the lead by volunteering your salary information. Experts also recommend not sharing your salary with a recruiter if asked during the interview process and instead asking about the salary range for the job you’ve applied for.

Expand your job search

Recent research from LinkedIn finds that women tend to screen themselves out of jobs and end up applying for 20 percent fewer jobs than men. The report finds women are also more hesitant to ask for a referral from somebody they know at the company.

This confidence gap can hinder women in the job market, impacting their earnings and career growth. To overcome this, keep an eye out for job opportunities that pique your interest – even if your qualifications don’t align perfectly. If you feel passionate enough about an opportunity, consider applying and make sure to highlight your transferable skills and growth potential in your resume. Building and maintaining a strong network can also create opportunities to explore new potential career paths that offer better pay and career growth.

• Methodology

  Bankrate looked at data available from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey between 2012 and 2022, based on interviews with more than 2 million Americans. Bankrate extracted the 2012-2022 data from IPUMS USA, the clearinghouse of census data hosted by the University of Minnesota. Bankrate analyzed bachelor’s degree holders between the ages of 18 and 77 who were in the labor force and either employed or seeking work. We looked at over 150 majors reported by at least 250 people between 2012 and 2022. To construct our analysis, Bankrate examined median wages and the percentage of men vs. women who hold degrees in that field.