No financial gain for female graduates with first-class degrees

By Hayley Dixon. Women who leave university with a first class degree see little difference in their salary, but their male counterparts receive a clear financial advantage, a study has found. As female students across the country prepare to sit their exams, the London School of Economics has discovered that the future salary difference for those walking away with a first and those gaining a 2:1 is small. In contrast first-class male graduates are likely to be paid six percent more than their peers who obtained a lower grade. The report was carried out by Professors Andy Feng and Georg Graetz who found that, on average, a first-class degree adds roughly 3 per cent to earnings in the first year of employment
“In cash terms, this means that the men get a bonus for a first of about £1,780 in today’s money,” the report’s authors conclude. “If this difference remains over a 40-year career, this would be worth about £71,000.”
The authors claim that the differences may wear off over time, but they cannot explain the gender pay discrepancies. Read more...