The Deepening Gender Divide in Credentials, 2000–2020: Continuity, Change, and Implications
In the United States, women have earned more bachelor’s degrees than men since the mid-1980s. We examine the historical continuities in this trend and its sources, as well as changes since 2000 in gender gaps in advanced credentials, fields of study, types of institutions attended, and financing for...
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Russell Sage Foundation
2025-01-01
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| Series: | RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences |
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| _version_ | 1846092987855011840 |
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| author | Claudia Buchmann Rachel E. Dwyer Man Yao |
| author_facet | Claudia Buchmann Rachel E. Dwyer Man Yao |
| author_sort | Claudia Buchmann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the United States, women have earned more bachelor’s degrees than men since the mid-1980s. We examine the historical continuities in this trend and its sources, as well as changes since 2000 in gender gaps in advanced credentials, fields of study, types of institutions attended, and financing for higher education. The gender gap in bachelor’s degrees has remained stable at a high level over this period and a female advantage in advanced degrees emerged, especially in professional degrees. The deepening gender divide in credentials coincided with rising shares of women attending for-profit institutions and an emerging gender divide in student indebtedness. Thus, women disproportionately carry the promise and bear the costs of educational expansion, with far reaching implications for the future. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-26724d69d37e440895dc993856b47100 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2377-8253 2377-8261 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Russell Sage Foundation |
| record_format | Article |
| series | RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-26724d69d37e440895dc993856b471002025-01-02T19:47:23ZengRussell Sage FoundationRSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences2377-82532377-82612025-01-01111154177https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2025.11.1.08The Deepening Gender Divide in Credentials, 2000–2020: Continuity, Change, and ImplicationsClaudia Buchmann0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2910-3965Rachel E. Dwyer1Man Yao2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7691-3688The Ohio State UniversityThe Ohio State UniversityDenison UniversityIn the United States, women have earned more bachelor’s degrees than men since the mid-1980s. We examine the historical continuities in this trend and its sources, as well as changes since 2000 in gender gaps in advanced credentials, fields of study, types of institutions attended, and financing for higher education. The gender gap in bachelor’s degrees has remained stable at a high level over this period and a female advantage in advanced degrees emerged, especially in professional degrees. The deepening gender divide in credentials coincided with rising shares of women attending for-profit institutions and an emerging gender divide in student indebtedness. Thus, women disproportionately carry the promise and bear the costs of educational expansion, with far reaching implications for the future.gendercredentialshigher educationinequalitydebt |
| spellingShingle | Claudia Buchmann Rachel E. Dwyer Man Yao The Deepening Gender Divide in Credentials, 2000–2020: Continuity, Change, and Implications RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences gender credentials higher education inequality debt |
| title | The Deepening Gender Divide in Credentials, 2000–2020: Continuity, Change, and Implications |
| title_full | The Deepening Gender Divide in Credentials, 2000–2020: Continuity, Change, and Implications |
| title_fullStr | The Deepening Gender Divide in Credentials, 2000–2020: Continuity, Change, and Implications |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Deepening Gender Divide in Credentials, 2000–2020: Continuity, Change, and Implications |
| title_short | The Deepening Gender Divide in Credentials, 2000–2020: Continuity, Change, and Implications |
| title_sort | deepening gender divide in credentials 2000 2020 continuity change and implications |
| topic | gender credentials higher education inequality debt |
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