11/20/2024

How the College Education Gap between Men and Women May Affect Hiring Trends

The dynamic may impact your company’s hiring habits

Young people graduating from college usually enter the workforce as their next step, so major trends among college graduates have a big impact on hiring practices. New data from the Pew Research Center, a “nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank” that “informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world” show that significantly more young women than young men are getting college degrees.

It’s the 21^st century, and evolving conventional wisdom —and employment law—puts men and women on an equal footing when it comes to hiring practices. That makes the Pew data a real wakeup call for companies seeking fresh young minds to add to their employee rolls.

In a recently released report, Pew notes a number of significant changes since 1995—the date reflects the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey and Annual Social and Economic Supplement for 1995 to 2024. Back then, young men and women were “equally likely to hold a bachelor’s degree,” and about 25 percent of people in the 25-to-34-year-old age cohort had a four-year degree. The number of people pursuing post-secondary education has risen since then, but a growing gap between genders on college completion rates continues to grow. Pew’s latest data show that 47 percent of U.S. women in that age group have a bachelor’s degree—up 22 points from 1995. But only 37 percent of men the same age hold the same degree, up just 12 points from 1995. 

Please select this link to read the complete article from Inc.