Women More Likely to Get a College Degree Than Men

Both men and women are pursuing higher education today, both on the undergraduate level and on the graduate level, in order to gain access to a variety of fantastic job opportunities, as well as to advance their careers, to earn a higher salary, and to become more valuable in the workplace in myriad fields. But it turns out that the latest research is proving that women are actually more likely than men to get a college degree. Continue reading to learn about this interesting research.

Young Women Are Leading the Way

Young women, in particular, have been driving changes in the world of higher education, and many of them aren’t afraid to pursue the many degree opportunities that are available to them today. Compared to men, more young women are willing to put the time and effort into going to a great school like Washington State University to get a bachelor’s degree in a traditional classroom or even pursue an online MBA degree to get their masters in business administration online from home and from anywhere in the country.

What the Research Has Shown

Ever since the Census Bureau started collecting and analyzing data related to the attainment of higher education, men led the way. But for the first time since this data started being collected, women are actually more likely to hold a bachelor’s level degree compared to men. In 2014, for example, 30.2% of women had a bachelor’s degree to their name, while only 29.9% of men did, according to the Census Bureau’s reports. Meanwhile, in 2005, the opposite was true. That year, 26% of women had a bachelor’s degree, but 28.5% of men had the same level of education.

This proves that, even though more men and women have been pursuing higher education over the last decade or so, women have surpassed men in terms of how many of them are going to college for at least an undergrad degree, while the number of men has only risen by a small amount.

More Interesting Statistics

As mentioned above, young women are the ones who are really leading the change in how many women are gaining bachelor’s degrees. Within the 25-34 age bracket, 37.5% of women already have their bachelor’s degrees, or even more advanced college degrees, such as master’s level degrees. On the other hand, within this same age bracket, only 29.5% of men have at least a bachelor’s degree. However, the rate for college attainment for both women and men within this age bracket is increasing at about the same rate.

Compared to men and women who are over the age of 65, just 20.3% of women have college degrees, while 30.6% of men were able to gain a higher education. This proves that times have certainly changed, and women are really starting to lead the way in school and in the workplace.

If you’re a woman who has been thinking about pursuing a degree, whether you’re going to college for the first time for your bachelor’s degree or you want to advance your education with a master’s program, let these figures inspire you to keep going and succeed.