The gap between men’s and women’s pay has increased in recent years for the STEM professions – pay for women was 81 percent of men’s in 1995, but decreased to 78.7 percent in 2003. A significant determinant of wage gap is education, which accounts for almost 2%, also "second shift responsibilities" play a role in stopping women from reaching the same levels of human capital as men. However, data shows that one year after graduation women engineers made slightly more money on average than their male counterparts, but when looking 10 years down the line it was found that women only earned 93% of what males were earning 10 years after graduation. Employers reasoning's for this include:
When comparing the top 5 cities with the most female engineers, we found that female engineers achieved most in New York, where they earned on average 92.7% of their male peers. The largest pay gap was seen in Seattle where female engineers typically earn just 77.6% of their male peers.
- Women have lower levels of human capital than men and therefore they discriminate against women because they believe they are less productive
- Group data on women predict productivity of individual women – women are more likely to have shorter and more discontinuous work careers, therefore they are a more costly investment
When comparing the top 5 cities with the most female engineers, we found that female engineers achieved most in New York, where they earned on average 92.7% of their male peers. The largest pay gap was seen in Seattle where female engineers typically earn just 77.6% of their male peers.