

"We do have a high interest from recruiters who are looking for women who have studied the harder sciences, but there are not enough women to fill these roles," says Lisa MacKenzie, marketing director of, an online job board for women.

"Because there is such a dearth of women with technical qualifications, when it's time to negotiate salaries and benefits, women with skills in science and technology may be able to tailor their jobs to have a better work-balance than in more traditional women's careers," says Catherine Didion, executive director of the Committee for Women in Science, Engineering and Medicine of the National Academies.īut with a highly competitive job market for both men and women, it has become increasingly necessary to develop skills that are tailored to careers. In fact, many industry experts say pursuing majors that are not perceived as female-friendly may be advantageous in the job hunt. Notably, even female undergrads who go into women-dominated fields, like education, earn 95% of what a male would earn, according to the AAUW. On the other hand, men with a business degree are more likely to enter management positions.Įven women with MBAs quickly fall behind: On average, women are paid $4,600 less than men in their first jobs out of business school, according to a new report from the research and consulting firm Catalyst these women do not catch up in terms of pay and advancement for the duration of their careers. Why? According to the AAUW's 2007 "Behind the Pay Gap" report, women with business degrees are twice as likely as men with similar degrees to enter administrative, clerical or support positions earlier in their career.
#Education jobs for business majors full#
A woman one year out of college and working full time typically earns only 80% as much as her male counterparts. Still, a business degree does not insure against the income gap. "Women are choosing business majors because they, often guided by their parents, think they will be more likely to find jobs after college. Women who study business believe it will give them a practical edge, says Judy Touchton, founder and CEO of, a consultancy for women in higher education.

There is no clear gender split in the social sciences and history, with a nearly equal division of degrees awarded to both men and women it is the No.

With these majors, common career paths include sales, counseling and teaching. 5 to 7 on the list are psychology, visual and performing arts and communications, respectively. "Boys and young men often pursue science for science's sake, whereas girls and young women tend to view science as a tool for some other purpose, often attached to the social good." "Studies have found that boys and girls have different approaches to pursuing science," continues Basch. 8 on the list, biological and biomedical sciences, the only female undergraduate top 10 "hard" science. When women do gravitate toward the sciences, it is usually the life sciences." "This is why you see so many women in the fields of health care and education. "Research has shown that women tend to gravitate towards fields of studies and career paths where they can have a positive social impact and work with others, often collaboratively," says Linda Basch, president of the National Council for Research on Women (NCRW). In Pictures: Top 10 College Majors For Women 3 and 4, respectively for men) while women continue to dominate "soft" majors such as education, psychology and English (No. Engineering and computer science remain overwhelmingly male (No. But despite more women moving into this field of study, there is a continuing gender imbalance in the majority of undergraduate college majors.
