Report: Gender Pay Gap Opens Early

Many women graduating college aren’t making as much as men. A new study shows the gender pay gap starts early in a worker’s career.

One reason for the pay gap is that the better-paying jobs in science and technology are dominated by men. But a national study which took that and other variables into account still found a seven percent difference. Catherine Hill directs research for the American Association of University Women and co-authored the report. She says an increasing number of complaints filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission may account for a portion of the pay gap between young men and women only a year out of college, “It’s at least likely that some part of the unexplained gap may be result from discrimination. Other possible explanations: the negotiation issue.”

The study notes that women are less likely to demand a raise than men, and may be less willing to relocate. College-educated women have made more progress in diminishing the size of the pay gap compared to women with less education. But Laura Dresser says there remains a gender difference in the amount those with a bachelor’s degree will earn. Dresser is with the Center on Wisconsin Strategy, known as COWS, “A male will earn $50,000 a year at the median and a woman will earn about $44,000 at the median. So about a $6,000 pay gap for folks with bachelor’s degrees or more.”

To help reduce the pay gap, the American Association of University Women urged young adults to consider more lucrative majors. It also urged employers to assess their pay scales.