Ma chapter on gender inequality and returns to educational investments featured in book

Jul 27, 2013

Gender Inequality: Returns to Educational Investments

Yingyi Ma & Gokhan Savas

Sociology of Education: An A-to-Z Guide, July 2013

Yingyi Ma

Sociology Department

Center for Policy Research

Gender and Sex

Sociology of Education: An A-to-Z Guide

Yingyi Ma

Women have made remarkable progress in education worldwide in the past few decades. In many countries, including the United States, women have constituted the majority of college students and graduates. However, women have not made parallel progress in returns to education. The gender pay gap is salient, albeit reduced. Factors pertaining to education and noneducation are relevant in understanding gender inequality in returns to education. Gender differences in college majors play a significant role in gender inequality of returns to education. Women are generally concentrated in fields such as humanities, social science, and education, while men are concentrated in natural science, engineering, and economics.