Male-Female Education Gap Essay

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men are a growing academic minority in graduate schools?

During the Second Wave of the feminist movement of the 1970s, one of the key lobbying points of the women's movement was the need for women to achieve parity amongst males in undergraduate and graduate education. Today, the reality of gender disparities in education is far more complex. Women already outnumber males as undergraduates and are beginning to outnumber them in graduate schools as well. However, before 'victory' is declared for feminism, it is important to view these statistics with some caution. Although the trend may indicate that males will be outnumbered by females at the undergraduate, masters and Ph.D. levels this does not mean that women are on a sunny and uncomplicated path to economic enrichment and personal fulfillment.

A recent study by the U.S. Council of Graduate Schools found that between the years of 2008-2009, "women were award 50.4% of all Ph.Ds., compared to 44% just eight years ago" (Sanchez 1). This indicates that women are overtaking males in pursuit of higher education as well as for undergraduate degrees. This is not a statistical 'blip' but seems to be an indication of a larger trend. "Since 1986, women have earned the majority of master's degrees" (Sanchez 1). However, there is still the caveat that the degrees women are pursuing tend to be in lower-paying academic and vocational fields than males. For example, "most women got their Ph.Ds. In public administration, health sciences and education" (Sanchez 1). These areas tend to be far less lucrative than STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematical) subjects. Also, students who pursue these degrees often do not go on to teach in an academic setting, which indicates that the disparity between male professors and females in academia may still persist longer than expected. And even for male and female professors with the same credentials: "a male professor with a Ph.D. earns $87,200 on average, compared to $70,600" (Sanchez 1).

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The figures regarding female participation in graduate studies that are most lucrative and in high demand are far more sobering. For example, "in mathematics, computer sciences and physical sciences…no more than 30% of doctoral graduates are women. In business, about 39% of Ph.Ds. go to women. The biggest disparity is in engineering, where 78% of doctorates go to men" (Sanchez 1). However, although the disparity is still great, some people have pointed to hopeful signs that it is abating. For example, twenty years ago, "women earned about 10% of the doctoral degrees in engineering. Now, they earn 22%," an impressive increase (Sanchez 1).

At the lower levels of education, the statistics regarding female empowerment are far more impressive. For example, "women earned 45.1% of bachelor's degrees in business in 1984-5 and 50% by 2001-2, up from only 9.1% in 1970-1" (Francis 1). Women are also clearly 'using' these degrees to attain economic solvency in the workplace. For example, in 1960, "only 39% of 30-to-34-year-olds were employed and 47% of those employed were teachers; 73% had children at home" (Francis 1). In contrast, of female college graduates of 1980: 30-to-34 years of age: "70% were employed, only 36% of those employed were teachers, and 60% had children at home" (Francis 1). As new career paths opened up to women in higher-wage fields than education, women had a greater economic incentive to seek out self-improvement. "The overall gender pay gap from 59 cents for every dollar earned by men in 1960 to 77 cents in 2008" (St. Rose 1).

Yet while the pay gap between males and females overall is widening, women even at the undergraduate level shy away from majoring in the most lucrative STEM majors. Women still tend to favor majors in subjects such as psychology, the arts and humanities, social work, and education. While.....

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