Closing the gender gap

In the last month or so, reports have been emerging stating that women in the United States are closing in on certain gender gaps that have haunted them, their mothers, and their mother's mothers. This is exciting news. NPR correspondent, Nuki Noguchi, reported earlier this month that:

"In most areas of the country now, unmarried women between the ages of 22 and 30 without kids are making 8 percent more than men in the same demographic."

Based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, analysts say that the jump in numbers is credited to the fact that more young women are pursuing higher education.

"At this point in time, young women are 1.5 times more likely to earn college degrees than their male counterparts," explained James Chung, president of Reach Advisors, who analyzed the data."

As a recent graduate and long-time student, this makes sense to me. Thinking back and looking at my memories, I remember women. Many of my classes had more women than men in them. I was about 10 years older than my female counterparts and I can share that they seem unscathed by gender stereotypes, especially when it came to career success. Females are not just receiving their bachelor's degrees and master's degrees in greater numbers either. More and more women will have the title of "Dr." in addition to their name.

Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed and reported by USA Today, said:

"New data being released today show that in 2008-09, for the first time, women earned a majority of the doctoral degrees awarded in the USA."

The trend is expected to continue, and we will see what happens to that gender gap.