Men are more likely to drop out of college than women because they can afford it, according to a study published last month in the journal Gender & Society.
The study found that men who enter the workforce without a university degree do not see a significant difference in their salary, compared to women who do not have a degree. Female workers who have not graduated from university typically make $6,500 less than women who have graduated from university.
The report looked at data from the 1997 cohort of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, published by the U.S. Department of Labor.
This research paper, titled “Gender, Debt, and Dropping Out of College,” also found that the experience of having student loans is a gendered one.
“Women are more likely to take out loans than men, with 40 percent of women and 34 percent of men taking out loans on average in each year,” the study said.
Since men are less likely to be disadvantaged for not having a university education, the study says they are less likely to be willing to go into debt. Male university students tend to have $2,000 less debt than their female classmates, said the study.
In 1992, post-secondary students required $9,600 in loans to afford school, but in 2010 this number was at $13,000.
The researchers found that having a bit of debt actually encourages both men and women to earn a degree. However, when the debt level reaches around $12,500, students become discouraged to continue their schooling.
“Women who drop out are more likely to be employed in lower-paying service work, while men who drop out have opportunities in higher–paying manufacturing, construction, and transportation work,” the researchers wrote.
However, in the long term, men without an education may also suffer, as the study found that by mid-life men with a university degree make $20,000 more than those without.
Little research has been done on the issue, but the researchers said this kind of information will be valuable in the future, since student debt and dropouts affect the larger society.
Auronee Islam, a third-year female student at Carleton University, has recently returned to school. She left for personal issues but returned to finish her university education, feeling that it would be an advantage.
“I came back to university because a degree has more merit and opportunities in growth in the job market,” Islam said.
