Gains made by women in the college-educated labor force just before and during the Covid 19 pandemic are remaining in place, according to a new survey just released by the Pew Research Center.
As of the late spring of this year, women accounted for exactly 50.7% of the workforce with a college degree, a number that has been on the upside now for the last two years.
Altogether, there are currently 31.3 million women, aged 25 and older, with at least a bachelor’s degree, up from 28 million in the spring of 2018.
According to a release accompanying the Pew survey, the number of college-educated men, on the other hand, is now at 30.5 million, but their ranks “have not increased as quickly as those of women.”
Even so, the actual number of college-educated men has gone up from 28.7 million in the last four years to 30.5 million.
While the numbers for college-educated women clearly indicate progress, those with only some college, or none at all, have seen a decline of 4.6% in the last three years, while men in this category were down by 1.3%.
The trend line of women receiving at least a bachelor’s degree has a long arc: according to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 1960 women made up 35% in this category. The number jumped to 43% by 1970 and has been above the 50% mark since 1981.
By Garry Boulard
