<p>Although female college graduates shared in the earnings growth
of all college graduates in the 1980s, they earned less on average
than male college graduates. </p>
<p>Among employed recent science and engineering bachelor’s
degree recipients, women were less likely than men to be
employed in science and engineering occupations.28 For example,
18 percent of employed recent female science and engineering
graduates were employed in science and engineering occupations
in 1993, compared to 35 percent of their male counterparts.
18
Female field concentration ratio of graduate degrees
conferred: Academic years ending 1971, 1982, and 1994
Field of study 1971 1982 1994
Master’s degrees
Life sciences 0.76 0.69 0.92
Physical sciences* 0.23 0.27 0.35
Mathematics 0.56 0.43 0.51
Computer sciences and engineering 0.03 0.14 0.19
Computer sciences 0.17 0.35 0.29
Engineering 0.02 0.10 0.15
Doctor’s degrees
Life sciences 1.17 0.87 1.09
Physical sciences* 0.36 0.34 0.44
Mathematics 0.50 0.33 0.45
Computer sciences and engineering 0.04 0.13 0.21
Computer sciences 0.14 0.19 0.29
Engineering 0.04 0.12 0.20
*Includes fields such as physics, chemistry, astronomy, and geology.</p>
<p>• The salary differential between women and
men in comparable scientific jobs is still evident.
There remains an earnings gap between men and women in comparable
scientific positions. Among more experienced bachelor’s
and master’s scientists and engineers, the gap between men’s
and women’s salaries is larger than for recent graduates.29 Some
of the difference in salary is due to differences in the field in
which they are employed. Salaries are highest in
mathematics/computer science and engineering, fields in which
women are not highly represented. Such factors as the number of
years in the labor force, primary work activity, supervisory status,
and number of people supervised also influence salaries and
may account for some of the gap.</p>
<p>• Among recent college graduates who majored
in the natural sciences, women earned less
than men did. There was no measurable difference
between the starting salaries of men
and women who majored in computer sciences
and engineering, however.
College graduates who majored in computer sciences and engineering
had much higher starting salaries than did all college
graduates. On the other hand, graduates who majored in the natural
sciences or mathematics earned less than the typical graduate
did. Although median starting salaries for 1993 female recent
graduates were substantially lower than those of male graduates,
there was no measurable difference between the starting salaries
of men and women who majored in computer science and engineering.
Women who majored in the natural sciences earned 15
percent less than men who majored in the same field, however.</p>
<p><a href=“http://nces.ed.gov/pubs97/97982.pdf[/url]”>http://nces.ed.gov/pubs97/97982.pdf</a></p>