Even when both male and female students say they want to pursue a major with the best earnings prospects, the majors that men choose are paid higher than those women choose. A new study found that "principal choice logic" may lead women to choose different majors than men, despite similar preferences. A possible competitive preference:finding a direction that fits well.
The researcher used data from a study, which surveyed 2,720 students from three higher education institutions that had programs to attract and retain STEM majors. During their first term, each student was asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 5 how important four considerations were to them when selecting a major:money earned, career options, engaging classes, and helping others.
Students later reported which subject they had chosen. Federal data was also used to research each subject's earnings.
"The pattern was clear:the subjects that men choose are associated with significantly higher earnings than the subjects that women choose — regardless of the major preferences of men and women," said the researcher.
So when men and women both prioritize economic returns in their craft preferences, men still choose subjects that pay more. But even when men and women prioritized different majoring preferences — such as helping people — men still chose higher-paying subjects, the findings showed.
For example, men who said they wanted a major where they could help people were more likely than women to choose biology—a pre-medical major—because they thought doctors were helping people. But women who wanted to help people were more likely than men to choose nursing.
Why do women choose different majors than men, even if they share the same preferences?
One reason may have to do with which jobs men and women think are realistic, the researcher said.
“There is research suggesting that men and women have very different ideas about what types of careers and fields are open and available to them,” she said.
“Some STEM careers that pay the most may not be as receptive to women as they are to men, so women adjust to which majors they select.”
As a result, women who are motivated to earn a lot of money choose subjects that are relatively expensive, but also more open and available to women.
The results of the study suggest that attracting women to STEM may not be as simple as changing their preferences, as changing their preferences may not lead to them actually choosing the STEM careers they are encouraged to pursue. select.
