Field of study and family structure explain PhD wage gap
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029847
Nature : Much of the pay gap between men and women with PhDs comes about because women tend to pursue degrees in less lucrative fields, a new analysis has found. But even after controlling for field of study, women still earned an average of 11% less than men in their first year. That difference emerged because married women with children earned significantly less than their counterparts. Unmarried, childless women earned the same annual salary as men with a PhD in the same field. The analysis, by Bruce Weinberg of the Ohio State University in Columbus and his colleagues, examined about 1200 graduates of PhD programs in the US. The analysis did not identify any specific factors explaining why married women with children earn less than their colleagues.