Participation without Parity in U.S. Higher Education: Gender, Fields of Study, and Institutional Selectivity

While women now earn more bachelor’s degrees than men in many parts of the world, large gender gaps persist in fields of study, and women remain underrepresented in the most prestigious institutions. This study updates and extends the literature on gender disparities in higher education by comparing the selectivity of the institutions where men and women earn their degrees and then examining the gender segregation of fields of study across different types of universities in the United States. Findings show that men continue to earn degrees at somewhat more selective institutions than women, a pattern that has shifted little over the past 27 years. Further, patterns of gender segregation by field of study continue unabated and are constant across types of institutions. Women’s increased participation in higher education has not resulted in full parity.