Iceland may have figured out how to close the gender wage gap (
the country literally made it illegal), but most of the world, including the United States, is still falling behind. Though equal pay is a crucial goal that feminists have fought to achieve for some time, the problem has persisted well into the age of
female empowerment and
girl bosses everywhere. So, how can you make sure you're bringing home the same amount of
(Paleo) bacon as your male counterpart? By having one more degree than your male coworkers, according to a
new report from Georgetown University.
A woman with a master's degree makes the near equivalent of a man with a bachelor's degree, and the trend continues regardless of how high up the education chain you go.
After analyzing data from a slew of sources that includes the US Census Bureau and the Center for American Progress, the report found that though a woman with a bachelor's degree makes an average of $61,000 per year, her male counterpart makes almost that same amount with just an associate's degree. The pattern continues regardless of how high up the education chain you go: A woman with a master's degree makes the near equivalent of a man with a bachelor's degree, etc. The breakdown is so significant that, according to the report, "Women with bachelor’s degrees in business earn $1.1 million less than men with bachelor’s degrees in business."
The study explains that even when social scientists control for every measurable employment factor that could help explain the disparity, women still earn only 92 percent of what men earn for doing the same job."
There are theories that potentially explain part of this gap: There's the role of intersectionality and the impact of race on wages and the fact that, even in lucrative fields, women tend to pursue the submajors that will make them less money, like biological and life sciences (54 percent are women) over engineering (17 percent are women). But the study explains that even "when social scientists control for every measurable employment factor that could help explain the disparity, women still earn only 92 percent of what men earn for doing the same job."
It is an enduring thorn in the side of women everywhere, so take a cue from other boss babes and learn to negotiate.
You can change your career by networking and by heeding other intelligent work advice.
