Census Finds US Women Outpace Men in Higher Ed

US census data shows that for the first time that more working women than men have higher education degrees.

Data released by the once-per-decade US census, last conducted in 2010, shows 37 percent of the female working population age 25 and older have bachelor's degrees or higher, compared with 35 percent of men.

Throughout the entire adult population over age 25, men still hold the educational edge, with 30.3 percent having at least a bachelor's degree compared with 29.6 percent for women.

But the Census Bureau data, released Tuesday, shows the female trend is expected to continue: among all young adults age 25 to 29, 36 percent of women had bachelor degrees or higher, compared with 28 percent for men.

Women began overtaking men in university enrollment several years ago, and by the year 2000 they were attaining more advanced degrees -- master's degrees and PhDs lumped together -- than men.

The overall trend could eventually translate to a dramatic shift in the broader US workforce.

According to the latest census data, out of a total 200 million Americans 25 and older, 174 million have attained at least a high school diploma, or about 87 percent, up from 84 percent in 2000.

Thirty percent of US adults 25 and older, some 60 million people, had at least a bachelor's degree in 2010, compared with 26 percent in 2000.

Broken down by ethnic groups, the data shows that some 52 percent of Asians in the United States had a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 33 percent for non-Hispanic whites, 20 percent for African-Americans, and 14 percent for Hispanics.

Source: AFP