While women have a much broader range of career opportunities than they’ve enjoyed during any other part of history, they’re still making less money than their male colleagues. That’s true even in higher eschelon white collar careers. There’s a perception that sexism doesn’t affect paychecks in this day and age, but women still often make 10-20% less than men do. So, if you’re a well-educated woman looking to make great money, what careers should you be looking at?
Well, being the boss is always a good option for making more money than your male coworkers–it’s no surprise that CEOs do well, regardless of their gender. But if you’re looking to plot a more predictable career course, there are other jobs to consider.
The jobs which pay best for women all have one or more of the following three things in common: there’s a high demand for qualified applicants in the field, the job requires extensive higher education, and/or the position requires advanced technical knowledge. So if you’re a woman who wants to maximize her earning potential, you might need to aim higher than you thought.
And do your research–some jobs that seem like they fit those criteria still fall short in earnings. Teaching for example, is in high demand and requires a higher education and extensive training and certification, but doesn’t make the cut for earning potential. Women are much better off in terms of income choosing a job in computer programming, for example, where they make nearly the same amount as men, despite being greatly outnumbered in that field. Female accountants also do fairly well. Don’t take for granted that you’ll be making equal wages for equal work–if you’re really ambitious, you’ll research first!