TDNet Discover

The purpose of this study is to examine whether the gender wage gap varies across levels of educational attainment by using a linear regression analysis to compare average wages of men and women with a bachelor's degree or higher. For the utility of this study, the gender wage gap is defined as the difference in wages between male and female employees with similar titles and work duties. The study aimed to answer the research question, “What is the difference in wages by gender and educational attainment?”. The study uses feminist theory as the theoretical framework. Findings may inform workplace policies and legal standards intended to promote pay equity for women. The dataset used in this study is a publicly available secondary dataset provided by the United States Census Bureau. The data was collected via survey responses and published for public use. The participants include adults from the ages of 24-65 who have at least a bachelor's degree. The dataset displays the average salary for men and women by employment field and reflects a broad population of degree holders. The chosen dataset supported the goal of the study because it reflected the averages from the larger population in America, rather than relying on a small sample of candidates. A macro was scripted in Excel to perform the linear regression analysis, and the resulting p-value showed that gender is a statistically significant predictor of wages in a population with a bachelor's degree at minimum. The results supported implications from existing literature asserting bias and stereotypes create structures that perpetuate the gender wage gap. The study concludes personal achievement is not sufficient to close the gender wage gap, and those who already benefit from the imbalanced structures must participate in efforts to close the gender wage gap in order for more progress to be made.