Like many across the country this weekend, I attended a graduation ceremony. While I was sitting there, watching students walk across the stage, face beaming, ready to dive into the next chapter of their lives, I noticed a trend in the majors with which these students were graduating.
In Business Administration, 70% of the graduates were males.
In Psychology, 80% of the graduates were females.
In Education, 75% of the graduates were female, and of those in the Elementary Ed. track, 100% were female.
In all other majors, the genders were roughly even.
Does this tell us something about what types of careers people want? Is it to anyone's surprise that, in general, women tend to be drawn to helping professions as therapists, social workers, counselors, and teachers? And that men tend to be drawn to fields of entrepreneurship, business leadership, investment, and other avenues associated with monetary earnings?
Which of these paths do you think tends to earn the most money?
When we hear the nonsense of the wage gaps and equity in professions, we often blatantly ignore people's individual choices. We must also take into account the lifestyles that each profession requires. People with Psychology and Education degrees often work consistent 8-5ish schedules and earn stable income. It is not strange that women tend to gravitate toward such fields. People who go into business, on the other hand, tend to work longer and more inconsistent hours, have sporadic pay, and are required to take risks, either for themselves or for their companies. Men tend to be more willing to put themselves in those precarious positions in hopes of a reward at a later time. I would never say that either option is better than the other--heck, I'm a guy, and I wanted nothing to do with Business Administration as a student, instead opting for the relative safety of Education--but it's not sexist to notice gender trends and view them as quite logical. People choose what is in their best interest at that moment in time and as they predict their future to unfold. No one is forced into a field they do not want to pursue.
Should we encourage students of either gender to try other subject areas and pursue paths they hadn't previously considered? Absolutely! But let us not claim discrimination or "barriers" or other meaningless assumptions when human nature is at work. And let us not pretend that it's weird that some women don't want to still be at the office staring at investment spreadsheets at 11pm, or that most men don't want to surround themselves with screaming, sticky 6-year-olds all day long. People choose what they choose, and there will be economic consequences for those choices. Some may make a better income, and some may be content in earning less tangible rewards. Some may love working 80 hours a week, while some may prefer to head home at 3pm. There is no right answer, and it is not up to legislators or social justice busybodies to deem what careers individuals should pursue.
Our new graduates should strive to perform to their utmost ability in whatever field they have chosen. And if that comes with higher income, that is great. But if it doesn't, they can be assured that success has many definitions, and they need to only concern themselves with their own.
In Business Administration, 70% of the graduates were males.
In Psychology, 80% of the graduates were females.
In Education, 75% of the graduates were female, and of those in the Elementary Ed. track, 100% were female.
In all other majors, the genders were roughly even.
Does this tell us something about what types of careers people want? Is it to anyone's surprise that, in general, women tend to be drawn to helping professions as therapists, social workers, counselors, and teachers? And that men tend to be drawn to fields of entrepreneurship, business leadership, investment, and other avenues associated with monetary earnings?
Which of these paths do you think tends to earn the most money?
When we hear the nonsense of the wage gaps and equity in professions, we often blatantly ignore people's individual choices. We must also take into account the lifestyles that each profession requires. People with Psychology and Education degrees often work consistent 8-5ish schedules and earn stable income. It is not strange that women tend to gravitate toward such fields. People who go into business, on the other hand, tend to work longer and more inconsistent hours, have sporadic pay, and are required to take risks, either for themselves or for their companies. Men tend to be more willing to put themselves in those precarious positions in hopes of a reward at a later time. I would never say that either option is better than the other--heck, I'm a guy, and I wanted nothing to do with Business Administration as a student, instead opting for the relative safety of Education--but it's not sexist to notice gender trends and view them as quite logical. People choose what is in their best interest at that moment in time and as they predict their future to unfold. No one is forced into a field they do not want to pursue.
Should we encourage students of either gender to try other subject areas and pursue paths they hadn't previously considered? Absolutely! But let us not claim discrimination or "barriers" or other meaningless assumptions when human nature is at work. And let us not pretend that it's weird that some women don't want to still be at the office staring at investment spreadsheets at 11pm, or that most men don't want to surround themselves with screaming, sticky 6-year-olds all day long. People choose what they choose, and there will be economic consequences for those choices. Some may make a better income, and some may be content in earning less tangible rewards. Some may love working 80 hours a week, while some may prefer to head home at 3pm. There is no right answer, and it is not up to legislators or social justice busybodies to deem what careers individuals should pursue.
Our new graduates should strive to perform to their utmost ability in whatever field they have chosen. And if that comes with higher income, that is great. But if it doesn't, they can be assured that success has many definitions, and they need to only concern themselves with their own.