Despite women surpassing men in college graduation rates, their wage growth continues to stagnate
Busting the Ivory Towers with Female Power:
Boston-born tenacity - Madeline Szoo has heard the chorus of mockery her grandmother faced in her quest for a college education and a career as an accountant, despite the blatant sexism. "No one will trust a woman with their money," they'd taunt. Fast forward to the present, Szoo doesn't shy away from defying her nay-sayers, eagerly embarking on her college journey as a fourth-year student at Northeastern University, pursuing degrees in chemical engineering and biochemistry.
The lady in STEM hasn't found smooth sailing just yet, as she's encountered her fair share of prejudice - subtly through compliments such as, "You're smart for a girl." Yet Szoo has no doubts about her destiny; she's gunning for a Ph.D., aiming to mentor fellow females as they shatter glass ceilings in scientific fields like chemical engineering and biochemistry.
A Women's Ascendancy in Academia:
Rising like a phoenix - Today, women are on the ascent in the academic sphere, even as the male numbers take a nosedive. The number of college-educated women eclipsing their male counterparts in the workforce has become a reality, according to the Pew Research Center. Surprisingly, this trend isn't limited to traditional fields of study. Women are making headway in male-dominated disciplines like engineering and business.
However, the glass ceiling refuses to crack entirely. Women earn an average of 82 cents for every dollar earned by their male peers, data shows, almost unchanged since 2002. And, the number of top managers in companies led by females has dropped, standing at less than 12%, as reported by S&P Global.
Elizabeth Mynatt, dean of Northeastern's Khoury College of Computer Sciences, encapsulates the sluggish pace of progress by stating, "I think we're getting there, but it's slow."
A Persistent Pay Gap:
Battling the Biased Battleground:
Despite the increasing number of women in college, obstacles persist in closing the gender earnings and leadership gaps. Income disparities among genders can be traced back to social, structural, and cultural factors, rather than differences in qualifications or educational attainment.
Occupational Segregation - Women are overrepresented in lower-paying fields like education, administration, and the care industries, while remaining underrepresented in high-paying sectors like finance, technology, and engineering. While some fields have witnessed promising shifts, such as Northeastern accepting a slightly higher number of female engineering students since 2022, progress remains elusive in many cases.
The Motherhood Penalty - While women entertain ambitions, family responsibilities typically interfere with their careers, causing abrupt career interruptions, part-time work, or reduced hours.
Bias and Discrimination - Subtle and often unconscious gender biases perpetuate the pay gap, even after controlling for factors like job role, education, and experience.
Change is on the Horizon:
While the journey may be arduous, women are resilient. The influx of college-educated females in male-dominated industries is bringing about remarkable changes in perspectives and corporate cultures. As Carly Tamer, a Northeastern engineering major, notes, "having more women around [her] proves more supportive."
Projects submitted by female students may face fewer serious considerations, but Szoo remains hopeful: "We're definitely the type of people who if you say we can't do it, we will prove you wrong."
One positive sign: firms with more women in senior leadership positions increasingly use gender-neutral language. Researchers have also found that the app created by female computer science students at Northeastern, allowing users to anonymously report harassment, catcalling, and sexual assault, demonstrates the transformative potential of a diverse workforce.
The road towards true gender equality is long, but with a rising tide of female college graduates, there's no turning back. As Mynatt says, "the women bring the problem to the team. When you bring in diverse voices, it shifts things culturally across the board."
Sources:[1] Pay Equity: A Look at the Global Gender Pay Gap. (2019). Deloitte Insights.[2] The gender pay gap: facts and figures. (2019). Eurofound.[3] Women in the Workplace 2020. (2020). Lean In & McKinsey & Company.[4] Ambitious but Frustrated. (2018). The Athena Collaborative & BNY Mellon.
- Madeline Szoo, despite encountering prejudice throughout her college journey, aims for a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and biochemistry, envisioning herself mentoring fellow females to shatter glass ceilings.
- The academic sphere witnesses a 'Women's Ascendancy' as college-educated women are surpassing their male counterparts in the workforce, even in male-dominated disciplines like engineering and business.
- Despite progress, the gender pay gap persists, with women earning an average of 82 cents for every dollar earned by their male peers, as demonstrated by data, almost unchanged since 2002.
- Occupational segregation leads to women being overrepresented in lower-paying fields while underrepresented in high-paying sectors such as finance, technology, and engineering.
- Elizabeth Mynatt, dean of Northeastern's Khoury College of Computer Sciences, highlights the snail's pace of progress in breaking the glass ceiling.
- Colleges and universities play a significant role in fostering diversity and inclusion, as evidenced by Northeastern's acceptance of a higher number of female engineering students since 2022.
- Projects submitted by female students may sometimes face fewer serious considerations, but initiatives like women-centric apps created by computer science students at Northeastern demonstrate the transformative potential of a diverse workforce in promoting health-and-wellness, education-and-self-development, business, and careers.
