by BILL TIEIEMAN > Canadian University Press
OI'I'Z-WA — A Statistics Canada survey has confirmed what many people suspected for years - women are consistently paid less
than their male - counter- parts, even when they have obtained a post—secondary education degree; or ' certificate.
And the survey results will also shod< those who believe that their badielor's égree will \ find them a job in their
field. Only 42 per cent of the survey respondents with bachelor's degrees said their current jdos are directly related to their university studies. Twenty per cent of the degree holders said their jobs actually had no relation whatsoever to their studies;
'Ihe StatsCan survey was probably the most comprehensive examination of the Canadian post— ’ secondary education ‘graduate‘situation ever done. The pollsters inter— viewed 29,609 students who in 1976 cmpleted require- ments for a university degree or college diploma or certificate. 'Ihat's about one—third of all Canadian graduates for that year.
'Ihe StatsCan interviews took plaCe in June, 1978, approximately two years after the graduates had completed their require- ments. Some. of the survey's conclusions were:
- Women holding bachelor degrees are being paid from $1,000 to $4,000 less than men with the same degree in every field, except fine and applied arts and the humanities, per year.
- Women with a masters degree, except in the humanities field, fare even worse. The survey, which compared median rather than averaged salaries to get a more
' accurate picture, fomd
. almost every field.
. to their studies.
,1978.
I
\
' mmYMENI‘: AxNEWS FEA’I‘UIE (N PCBT-SECDNDARY " EHJCATICN GRADUATES - WHAT HAPPENED TO 'IHE CLASS OF "
'76 , '
— A masters degree is worth about 38 per cent, or $5,000 to $6,000 more per year in salary than a badie-lors degree, but a PhD will only garner the graduate an additional 5.5 per cent,- or about $1,100 more than the masters.
- Generally speaking, salaries increase with the number "of years of educa- tion cmpleted.
- British Columbia is- the most popular place to work among graduates, while Nova Scotia ranks last. B.C. had a net gain in both college and university graduates but
N.S. had net losses in " both.
Statistican Bob Cornish, who compiled and analysed most of the survey's results has some other observations about the post-secondary graduate
~ situation. ’
Cornish says that after seeing the survey he believes that for the university student a
_ Sixty_five per cent of masters degree is the best the oomtryus college investment to make. .In graduates did find directly terms of Cost effeSi—We' “ related jobs_ hess the masters gives a
— Overall 83.5 per cent StUdent a Salffly of 1976 post—secondary for add}qu tine education graduates had spent at mlvemlty and found full—timework. 'Ihe fig-59a better Chan? at top job—findingfields in fmdfl}?! a rented Job: university were business he sal‘?‘ - , management and commerce, cows}? said anOther health professions and Observatlon fr?!“ ifhe engineering and applied survey is the inc1dence sciences, with about 95 per cent of the bachelor gradutes employed by June, At the colleges data processing and computer science programs are a tid<et to sure-fire ' employment, with more than 98 per cent of those graduating in jobs when the survey was taken. Other fields with more than 90 per cent employment in— clude business management and commerce, secretarial arts and sciences, medical and dental services and engineering and related technologies. '
wage differenés of ab- out $1,500 per year in mathematim. and physical sfienfieswp to a high of almost $7,000 oer year in the health professions field. Differences in salary between men and women with Phds were similar but because of the small number of waren with doctorates the survey ' could not compile enough results for any conclusions.
— There are more women with degrees or certif- icates lod(ing for full- time work than men in
— ally .42 per cent cf the badielor‘degree graduates feel their jobs are directly related Broken dam into fields, 65 per cent of those in education got directly related jcbs at the top of the scale- while only 22 per cent of humanities graduates found directly related work.
"bumping"those with bachelors out of jobs. He found that 70 per cent of those with masters degrees did not need that level of education to meet the job requirements. Consequently employers with a choice between applicants will pid<' the masters graduate. I Those ccnSidering that a PhD will get them a higher wage than a masters should also remember that the four years extra studies will mean a wage loss of about\$80,000, Cornish says. '
,1 ./ /
of masters degree holders ,-
TmE UPEI sum, Thursday,
MAYBE [IE ‘5 $WDYIN6' osmosas . I:
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'PhDs also have another V a problem - overedUCation. Oomish says employers are reluctant to hire some— one who is overquali fied for a job and this has led to M actually . hiding their degree from anemplcyer to get hired.
.. Another part of the survey shcwedjhat 50 per cent of those in the humanities and social ‘ sciences expected to be able to find work in 7 their field, a completely
unrealistic dream, ,
according to Cornish. He
says people should ” examine the job situation
in a field before entering
it if they hope to find work related to their
studies.
Cornish advises students
/ to: v
— Take summer or part— r time work in your field if possible in order to learn what the job would be “like and make contacts for ' V the future. "I can't stress its importance enough," he says. 7
— Take aptitude tests and get professional career guidance. "It's worth every penny spent at the entrance level," he said.
— Look at trends in the business world to getan idea where jobs could" lie in the future. ,
- Sell yourself toan
0 employer, going bad: a
few times to convince your employer you really do want the job. ’
- Start looking for a job mid—way through the year, when many employers make decisions on hiring later in the year.
_- Finally, use all the information available. The StatsCan survey,
, titled Employment of 1976
University and College Graduates, can be datained for free simply by writingto: Statistics Canada,» Education, Science and Culture Division,
Ottawa, (mt. KlA O'I‘6 .