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The graduate gender divide: men paid more than women
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).
