According to a recent Glassdoor survey, more than two-thirds (67 percent) of U.S. employees say they would not apply for jobs at employers where they believe a gender pay gap exists. Today, the gender pay gap is more than a social or legal issue. It’s an issue that can affect the ability of employers to attract and retain talent.
A new Glassdoor study shows that men and women sort into different college majors, and follow different career paths in their first five years of their careers – resulting in pay differences that can last a lifetime.
And since education itself is often touted as the key to overcoming inequity, it’s an appropriate starting line for setting up a fair race.
No doubt that if companies become dedicated to hiring new grads at the same median base pay across the board, they have the power to help close the gender pay gap. Another way to help with fair recruiting and hiring efforts is to hire based on skills rather than the degrees candidates hold. This study shows that men and women sort into different majors, but hiring based on skills rather than major will help you get more women into the hiring pipeline.
Consider this: on the surface it makes sense that in order to enter into the highest-paying jobs, you often need technical, highly specialized degrees, which have traditionally been male-dominated. However, Glassdoor’s latest economic study reveals that even within the same major, there can be a significant difference between how much men and women earn, largely due to the occupational sorting that happens after graduation.
Take a look at how the median base pay stacks up five years after graduation for the following fields of study:
[Related: 16 Tech Jobs That Have a Gender Pay Gap, and 8 Things You Can Do About It]
10 College Majors Leading to the Biggest Gender Pay Gaps
1.) Healthcare Administration
- Median Base Pay for Women: $40,000
- Median Base Pay for Men: $51,250
- Gender Pay Gap: 22%*
2.) Mathematics
- Median Base Pay for Women: $49,182
- Median Base Pay for Men: $60,000
- Gender Pay Gap: 18%
3.) Biology
- Median Base Pay for Women: $40,000
- Median Base Pay for Men: $46,000
- Gender Pay Gap: 13%
4.) Human Resources
- Median Base Pay for Women: $44,222
- Median Base Pay for Men: $50,000
- Gender Pay Gap: 11.6%
5.) Health Sciences
- Median Base Pay for Women: $40,000
- Median Base Pay for Men: $45,000
- Gender Pay Gap: 11.1%
6.) Biomedical Engineering
- Median Base Pay for Women: $53,450
- Median Base Pay for Men: $60,000
- Gender Pay Gap: 10.9%
7.) Industrial Engineering
- Median Base Pay for Women: $58,000
- Median Base Pay for Men: $65,000
- Gender Pay Gap: 10.8%
8.) Business
- Median Base Pay for Women: $45,000
- Median Base Pay for Men: $50,000
- Gender Pay Gap: 10.0%
9.) Marketing
- Median Base Pay for Women: $45,000
- Median Base Pay for Men: $50,000
- Gender Pay Gap: 10.0%
10.) Exercise Science
- Median Base Pay for Women: $40,000
- Median Base Pay for Men: $44,232
- Gender Pay Gap: 9.6%
Glassdoor research also shows that there are a handful of majors that result in a “reverse” unadjusted gender pay gap, in which the median base pay for women is actually more than what it is for men.
10 College Majors Leading to the Biggest “Reverse” Gender Pay Gaps
1.) Architecture
- Median Base Pay for Women: $57,000
- Median Base Pay for Men: $50,000
- Reverse Gender Pay Gap: -14.0%
2.) Music
- Median Base Pay for Women: $44,020
- Median Base Pay for Men: $40,000
- Reverse Gender Pay Gap: -10.1%
3.) Social Work
- Median Base Pay for Women: $40,640
- Median Base Pay for Men: $37,500
- Reverse Gender Pay Gap: -8.4%
4.) Advertising
- Median Base Pay for Women: $46,500
- Median Base Pay for Men: $43,020
- Reverse Gender Pay Gap: -8.1%
5.) Environmental Science
- Median Base Pay for Women: $47,000
- Median Base Pay for Men: $44,000
- Reverse Gender Pay Gap: -6.8%
6.) Chemical Engineering
- Median Base Pay for Women: $63,770
- Median Base Pay for Men: $60,480
- Reverse Gender Pay Gap: -5.4%
7.) Kinesiology
- Median Base Pay for Women: $43,000
- Median Base Pay for Men: $41,000
- Reverse Gender Pay Gap: -4.9%
8.) Mechanical Engineering
- Median Base Pay for Women: $68,000
- Median Base Pay for Men: $66,040
- Reverse Gender Pay Gap: -3.0%
9.) Sports Management
- Median Base Pay for Women: $42,672
- Median Base Pay for Men: $42,000
- Reverse Gender Pay Gap: -1.6%
10.) Anthropology
- Median Base Pay for Women: $41,250
- Median Base Pay for Men: $40,640
- Reverse Gender Pay Gap: -1.5%
There’s clearly a pressing need for companies to scrutinize their own compensation structures, a topic broken down in Glassdoor’s recent guide, How to Analyze Your Gender Pay Gap: An Employer’s Guide. Taking stock of pay discrepancies among current employees is critical, but it’s also important to work simultaneously toward ensuring that the new college grads you hire start out on a level playing field.
With this research at your fingertips, your company has the tools to start dismantling the problem right when students leave college and enter the workforce. If you know what the pay gap is in the positions you hire for, you can create a set point that’s firm regardless of gender.
Back to that first statistic we looked at – that according to a recent Glassdoor survey, more than two-thirds (67 percent) of U.S. employees say they would not apply for jobs at employers where they believe a gender pay gap exists. When you build pay equality into your company’s foundation, you can gain a lot of trust by showing candidates your commitment by taking the Equal Pay Pledge on Glassdoor.
For more information on how college majors affect the gender pay gap, read the full study here. And to find out more about how you can tackle the issues at your organization, read: 5 Ways to Address the Gender Pay Gap at Your Company.
*The gender pay gap in this research refers to the “unadjusted” gender pay gap, defined as the average pay gap comparing all women and all men in the sample.
Methodology: Based on more than 46,900 resumes shared on Glassdoor from individuals who completed college between 2010 and 2017. Full study methodology: https://www.glassdoor.com/research/studies/pipeline-problem-college-majors-gender-pay-gap/
