Gender Higher Education Gap – A faster growth among women in participation but predominantly in the fields of education, and health and welfare

• The last few decades have been marked by faster growth among women in participation in higher education than among men, which has reversed gender inequalities in tertiary attainment in almost all OECD and partner countries. On average across OECD countries, 51% of 25-34 year-old women held a tertiary degree in 2017, compared to 38% of 25-34 year-old men.
• However, strong barriers are still preventing women from choosing science-related fields and careers, despite having the ability to do so. They predominantly choose the fields of education, and health and welfare, while men still predominate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
• Women’s earnings in the workplace still lag behind men’s and their progression is constrained by many societal and economic factors. Even when they hold the same degree, women still earn less on average than their male peers for all fields of study and in all OECD and partner countries.

Women’s participation in higher education has overtaken men’s. However, women have been historically under-represented in some fields and continue to be so: they predominate in education,and health and welfare as their main fields of study, while men predominate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Whatever field of study they choose, however, women’s earnings still lag behind men’s in all fields and in all OECD and partner countries.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story @ OECD iLibrary | How have women’s participation and fields of study choice in higher education evolved over time?