Persisting Barriers: Socioeconomic Status and Gender Inequality in College-Going Pathways

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Seven
  In Roundtable Session: Sociology of Education SIG Roundtables: Gender Equity in School and Out-of-School Contexts (Table 13)

Abstract

Low-SES women's advantage compared to low-SES men in bachelor's degree completion is puzzling given low-SES women's comparative disadvantages in other institutions. Using a nationally representative sample of adolescents as they progress through emerging adulthood, we find low-SES women are substantially more likely to experience gaps in their educational trajectories and experience more gaps, on average, than low-SES men and high-SES women. Using longitudinal interviews conducted with a subset of the survey sample, we find low-SES women lead interdependent lives that make it more difficult for them to immerse themselves in higher education for an extended period of time than for their men and high-SES counterparts. Low-SES women are often supporting their family members, including siblings, parents, and their own children.

Authors

• Kaylee T. Matheny, Stanford University
  Presenting Author

• Ilana Horwitz, Tulane University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Natalie Milan, Stanford University
  Non-Presenting Author