Getting a PhD reduces men’s earnings but boosts women’s

IFS analysis reveals stark gender divide for earnings when controlled for other differences between students

Having a PhD reduces men’s earnings by the age of 35 but boosts earnings for women, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies analysis that used Longitudinal Education Outcomes data.

The analysis revealed that while women experience positive financial returns for their PhDs relative to earnings with an undergraduate degree alone—when controlling for undergraduate degree class, subject and institution—financial returns are significantly worse for men.