Women are more likely to start their careers underemployed than men.

In our previous post we discussed the effects of underemployment and the long-term impacts it could have on careers. While everyone is vulnerable to the cycle of underemployment, studies show that women are especially susceptible and disproportionately impacted.  

Although more women go to college and have higher graduation rates than men, they are still falling behind in the workplace. Women are more likely to start off underemployed than men. Nearly half of all female graduates start their careers in jobs that they are overqualified for. One may assume that this is the result of work-life tradeoffs that are conventionally expected of women, however, this setback is noted at the beginning of their careers when women tend to have very few familial obligations. Another theory may be that the choice of major is the cause for this disparity, but studies show that the trend persists regardless of the field of study.

Although women hold 44% of STEM-related degrees, a recent study found that women hold only 15% of engineering jobs. Women represent less than 20% of leadership positions in the tech industry and are offered lower salaries than men for the same positions at the same companies more than half of the time. This gap is even greater for women of color who hold only 3% of tech positions in the U.S and expect to earn $0.88 for every $1.00 that a man earns.

Regardless of the strides women have made in the educational arena, it is evident that the equity gap begins at the outset of their careers. Underemployment is a vicious cycle to be caught in, but it is entirely possible to avoid the trap. Make sure to read future posts tackling this topic.