10 College Majors That Earn Women Equal Pay

When it comes to equality for women, we’ve come a long way. Yet one major aspect seems to be slow to change: equality in pay. Women still earn only 81 cents for every dollar men earn, a gap that widens as a woman’s education level increases. There is hope, however, for women to earn equal or even greater pay than men in certain majors and professions. Here we’ve listed several college majors that can work in women’s favor when it comes to bringing home the bacon. Even better? They offer a chance for women to make a successful (financially and otherwise) career in a wide variety of fields.

1. Information Technology

   Women may be in high demand in the field of information technology, or at least that’s what their salaries would lead you to believe. Payscale.com found that women with degrees in this techie field actually make more on average than their male counterparts. The average male salary for IT work is $54,900, while women make slightly more at $55,400. This is the only major in which Payscale.com reported women making a higher average salary than men.

2. Mechanical Engineering

   There are few career paths out there where pay for men and women is pretty much exactly equal, but mechanical engineering is one of them. Female graduates of a bachelor’s program in mechanical engineering can expect to earn about $64,000 a year on average, with men earning mere $100 a year more, a negligible amount compared to the differences in many careers.

3. Sociology

   While a career in sociology might not be a particularly lucrative one, it is a field that offers some pretty good equality between male and female salaries. On average, there is a 1% difference in pay between male and female salaries for those who hold only a bachelor’s degree. Female grads can expect to earn an average of $39,500 a year, while males will earn about $39,800, a tiny difference of $300.

4. Graphic Design

   According to Payscale.com, a career in graphic design could be a great way for a creatively inclined woman to make a salary that’s comparable to her male counterparts. Their data, cross-checked with that from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, suggests that the average salary for a female graphic designer is $38,900. That of a male is $39,400, a difference of just 1%.

5. Electrical Engineering

   Electrical engineering isn’t always a popular major with female students, with some schools reporting as few as 11% of their students being female. Yet those who do enter into this major will find pay that’s pretty respectable and comparable to that of male engineers. The average male graduate of an electrical engineering program will earn just 1% more than a woman who graduates from the same program, a difference of only $700 ($72,700 vs. $72,200).

6. Communications

   Fancy a career in communications? Whether you’re working as a PR rep or pumping out advertisements, women can expect to make salaries that are pretty comparable to their male counterparts. While much of this list is dominated by technical and scientific careers, communications is one of the few liberal arts degrees that truly puts women on par with men. Women with a bachelor’s degree will make just 1% less than men with equal experience, adding up to a small difference of $600.

7. Psychology

   When it comes to head shrinking, men and women are valued pretty equally in the workplace, at least financially. Female bachelor’s grads from a psychology program can expect to make about $38,000 on average, with men making just $600 more a year. Of course, most working in psychology hold a much higher degree than just a B.S. The pay gap between men and women grows accordingly as education levels increase, though it is still on par with the average for many other career paths (female psychologists earn 82.8% of what male psychologists do), perhaps because psychology is a popular career path for women.

8. English

   English majors may be the butt of many a joke about not being able to find work, but those who do, as writers, teachers, and even in publishing, will find that salaries between men and women are pretty similar. Ladies who complete their bachelor’s in English will earn an average of $42,000 a year, while men earn only slightly more, pulling in just $600 more a year on average.

9. Civil Engineering

   Women who have a passion for bridges, roads, railroads, and public buildings will find a wealth of opportunities for earning equal pay when they take on a major in civil engineering. Female grads can expect to earn an average of $56,900 with a bachelor’s in civil engineering, while men will take in just 1% more at $57,700.

10. Nursing

    Nursing is a major and career path that has been traditionally dominated by women, but even with women in the profession seriously outweighing men in numbers, men still make slightly more. Payscale.com reports the average salary for female RNs at $59,600 and for male RNs at $60,800. While there is a difference, it’s much smaller than many other careers, weighing in at just 2% making it a pretty solid bet for women who are looking for greater equality in pay.

Taken From Best Colleges Online