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The graduate gender divide: men paid more than women

Kit Klarenberg
Written By:
Posted:
24/07/2015
Updated:
27/07/2015

Women find work faster after leaving university than men, but men enjoy higher starting salaries, according to Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) research.

The findings indicate around three-quarters of women who graduated in 2014 found part- or full-time work within six months, with 6 per cent of female graduates unemployed. 71 per cent of men had found work within six months, with 8 per cent of male graduates unemployed.

This gender disparity was also evidenced in starting salaries for graduates, with men on average earning £21,000, compared with £20,000 for women. This inequality increased in line with income scale; more than 10 per cent of male graduates earned starting salaries of between £30,000 and £40,000 in their first post-university post, versus 5 per cent of women. Around four times as many men earned over £40,000.

The survey also suggests that employment prospects for graduates have increased in line with economic recovery, with 60 per cent of 2014 graduates in full-time work (compared with 58 per cent a year prior).

Click here to view the HESA report in full.