Quote:
Originally Posted by christiangirl
She did say something I found interesting. Women are leading in college degrees, yet men are making more. Well, I wonder what majors are they choosing? I know more men who majored in business, communications, pre-med, political science/law than I do women who majored in those things. The female-dominated majors were stuff like Music, Psychology, English Lit, etc. Those lead to careers that aren't exactly profitable (but do bring lots of satisfaction  ). There were not whole lot of women majoring in administration or the natural sciences. I wonder if men making more despite less going to school have something to do with smaller numbers of men in college, but the ones who do choose the "money" majors? |
I hear ya. Across majors and across career fields, men make more than women.
There are gendered effects of the percentage of men and women who go into particular career fields with and without graduate degrees. Also, being a music or social science major can make a whole lot of money depending on what you do with it (i.e. college professor versus department chair versus college administration versus private contractor, etc.). As I always tell college students, your major doesn't determine your career of choice. Men are more likely, in general, to come from many of these majors with the higher placement and earning potential. It's similar to the race effect of the awesome Tim Wise who wouldn't get half as much credibility, respect, and speaking and training engagements if he was a Black man with a PhD in a social science who is seen as speaking that "typical Black people race stuff."
Another gendered effect that has been cited in gender literature for decades is the "mommy effect." Men are significantly less likely to be the caregiver in the family or to have primary/sole custody as a single parent. Therefore, men are considered shoe-ins for career stability, career advancement, and higher wages/salary because they are less likely to have noncareer things "interfere" with their job. They are also more likely to have the time, money, and support system to pursue higher degrees/certificates/training. One way that social scientists find this to be a gender (thus, social rather than biological sex) effect is in how men who ARE the caregiver in the family or are a sole custody single parent are treated (by people, in general) and on the job.
("Dude, you have to go pick up the kids and stuff? Man, that's what a woman is good for...you'll never get in the big office if you keep pretending to be a chick.")
I won't get further on that soapbox today.
