Enhancing Salaries for Women in STEM Fields to Equal Those of Men May Lessen the Existing Wage Disparity
In a recent study published in PLOS-ONE, researchers have shed light on the factors contributing to the gender wage gap among college-educated computer science workers. The study, titled "Factors Shaping the Gender Wage Gap Among College-Educated Computer Science Workers," reveals that the wage gap persists, with women earning about 86.6 cents for every US dollar that men earn.
According to the research, differences in occupations account for approximately a third of the gap. Women with degrees in computer science are less likely than their male counterparts to be employed in STEM occupations, particularly in computer science jobs.
The study, led by Sharon Sassler, professor of sociology at Cornell University, found that when controlling for age, degree field and level of attainment, occupation, and race, the wage gap narrowed by about 34%. This suggests that treating women more like men, especially on pay day, could be more crucial in closing the gender gap than increasing representation.
Sassler's work highlights that closing the gender wage gap requires attention to workplace practices, structural inequalities, and broader social factors, not just increasing female representation in computer science.
The study also finds that family factors such as marriage or parenthood are not major contributors to the gender wage gap in computer science. Instead, most of the gap results from women receiving different returns on their characteristics as partners, parents, and workers.
Women in computer science are more likely to work in roles such as computing and information science management and computer analysis, while men are more likely to work in software development and network architecture. This occupational segregation contributes to the pay disparity.
Sassler states that it's not the composition of women in STEM, but the returns they experience for the same attributes as their male counterparts that is more important. The research suggests that addressing persistent barriers to women's participation in the computer science workforce is crucial to close the gender wage gap.
Though women's representation in STEM fields has increased in recent decades, their presence in the CS workforce remains low. Women account for about half the jobs in STEM fields, but their representation in computer science is significantly lower.
Sassler's research on cohort differences in occupational retention among computer science degree holders found that women are far less likely to be employed in STEM occupations, particularly in computer science jobs. This trend is particularly noticeable among computer science graduates in this millennium.
The study examines the field of computer science and how women who major in and work in the field fare. It emphasizes the importance of addressing the persistent barriers to women's participation in the computer science workforce to close the gender wage gap.
Though the wage gap in computer science is better than the overall labour force average (82 cents), it still falls short of equitable pay. The study serves as a call to action for companies and policymakers to address the underlying factors contributing to the gender wage gap in computer science.
