A survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) found that new female college graduates received an average starting salary offer that was 17 percent lower than that of college graduating males, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
What many Chicago locals may find even more puzzling is that the gender pay discrepancy cannot even be explained as if graduating males were just choosing majors that led to jobs that provided a higher salary. The survey showed that men typically came out ahead in most cases when salary was adjusted by the major they selected.
The NACE’s report was based on a survey last fall of about 13,000 graduating college seniors. The results of the survey found that the median starting salary offered to new female college grads that had a bachelor’s degree was $36,451, whereas their male counterparts were offered a median salary of $44,159.
The NACE also looked at 14 particular majors and discovered that men received a higher salary offer if they had majored in business administration, computer science, education, accounting, psychology, social sciences, and mathematics. Women, on the other hand, only received a higher salary in jobs connected to liberal arts or humanities and engineering.
Edwin Koc, the NACE report’s author, said that the disparity in gender pay in the workforce has often been explained as result of society’s history with discrimination or the choice many women make to start a family and leave the workforce. “However, they do not explain the lower starting salaries that women still encounter when they begin their careers after graduating college,” said Koc.
If you feel you have been a victim of gender discrimination and are unfairly being paid less than your other-gendered colleagues, consider meeting with an experienced Chicago employment lawyer who can assess your case and determine the proper legal options and remedies available to you.
Related Resources:
- Female Graduates Earn 17% Less Than Men (MSN Money)
- Sex / Gender Discrimination FAQ (FindLaw)
- Equal Pay And Discrimination Against Women (FindLaw)
- High Court May Hear Appeal Of Walmart Gender Bias Case (FindLaw’s Chicago Employment Law Blog)
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