Do Graduates from Female-Dominated Majors Earn Less than Graduates from Male-Dominated Majors?
Submission Type
Event
Faculty Advisor
Michael Seeborg
Expected Graduation Date
2021
Location
Room E103, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Start Date
4-4-2020 10:30 AM
End Date
4-4-2020 10:45 AM
Disciplines
Economics | Education
Abstract
While gender and pay equality is greater than ever, there are still college majors that have enrollments dominated by either males or females. This research explores those who have chosen to major in male- and female-dominated disciplines and how this choice has affected their earnings. Based on the Barbara Bergmann crowding theory, I hypothesize that men and women who graduate from female-dominated disciplines will have lower wages than men and women who graduate from male-dominated majors. I used the American Community Survey data set (ACS) and OLS multiple regression analysis to test this hypothesis. The results indicate that earnings for graduates from female-dominated disciplines are significantly less than earnings for graduates from male-dominated disciplines, even after controlling for the effects of race, marriage, age, degree level, and usual hours worked.
Do Graduates from Female-Dominated Majors Earn Less than Graduates from Male-Dominated Majors?
Room E103, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
While gender and pay equality is greater than ever, there are still college majors that have enrollments dominated by either males or females. This research explores those who have chosen to major in male- and female-dominated disciplines and how this choice has affected their earnings. Based on the Barbara Bergmann crowding theory, I hypothesize that men and women who graduate from female-dominated disciplines will have lower wages than men and women who graduate from male-dominated majors. I used the American Community Survey data set (ACS) and OLS multiple regression analysis to test this hypothesis. The results indicate that earnings for graduates from female-dominated disciplines are significantly less than earnings for graduates from male-dominated disciplines, even after controlling for the effects of race, marriage, age, degree level, and usual hours worked.