Women Who Graduate from These 10 Top Colleges Earn Way Less than Male Grads
Contrary to popular belief, going to one of the country's top schools won't close the wage gap for women. New data from the Department of Education suggests that women who've graduated from some of the most prestigious schools actually face a wider wage gap.
Of the 100 best universities and the 25 best liberal arts colleges as ranked by US News College rankings, 117 schools had data available for researchers to analyze. They used data from the Department of Education to determine the average earnings for both men and women six years after beginning their higher education (discluding anyone still in school full time), and they found that the wage gap is persistent among those graduates of these schools.
Specifically, women earned more than men at only three of the 117 schools. On average, men earn $59,028, while women earn $47,887. This means that women start their careers earning 19 percent less than males.
Out of the 117 top schools, these are the 10 with the worst overall gender pay gaps.
1. Brigham Young University
- Male Earnings: $58,100
- Female Earnings: $24,800
- Wage Gap: 57.3 percent
2. Princeton University
- Male Earnings: $86,900
- Female Earnings: $54,600
- Wage Gap: 37.2 percent
3. Wake Forest University
- Male Earnings: $70,000
- Female Earnings: $44,900
- Wage Gap: 35.9 percent
4. Rice University
- Male Earnings: $76,600
- Female Earnings: $49,400
- Wage Gap: 35.5 percent
5. Williams College
- Male Earnings: $59,600
- Female Earnings: $39,200
- Wage Gap: 34.2 percent
6. Pomona College
- Male Earnings: $51,300
- Female Earnings: $34,800
- Wage Gap: 32.2 percent
7. Stanford University
- Male Earnings: $112,700
- Female Earnings: $76,700
- Wage Gap: 31.9 percent
8. Carnegie Mellon University
- Male Earnings: $94,300
- Female Earnings: $64,700
- Wage Gap: 31.4 percent
9. Brown University
- Male Earnings: $72,300
- Female Earnings: $50,200
- Wage Gap: 30.6 percent
10. Duke University
- Male Earnings: $105,100
- Female Earnings: $73,50
- Wage Gap: 30.1 percent
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AnnaMarie Houlis is a multimedia journalist and an adventure aficionado with a keen cultural curiosity and an affinity for solo travel. She's an editor by day and a travel blogger at HerReport.org by night.
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