Female Grads Earn $8K Less Than Men

It’s 2012, and sisters are doing it for themselves. They’re just doing it for less money. One year after graduating college, female graduates are earning nearly $8,000 less per year than their male counterparts, according to the American Association of University Women. The figure holds, even when factors like men choosing higher-paying fields and working more hours are controlled for. But not every figure is smaller for women—they also have higher student loan debt than their male counterparts. The AAUW finds that almost 15 percent more women than men are paying an unmanageable percentage of their earnings toward student loan debt.