Girls who study maths and science go on to earn a third more in wages
Posted on :
22-Mar-2015
Taking one A-level in STEM subjects boosts women’s pay by £4,500 a year
Girls who take maths and science at A-level will go on earn a third more in wages than those who stick to the arts and humanities, new research has found.
Nicky Morgan, the Education Secretary, said the data produced by the consultancy London Economics showed the importance of encouraging female pupils to take STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and maths – as a means of closing the gender pay gap.
Girls who take just one STEM A-level will see their wages rise by as much as £4,500 a year on average, while those who sit two maths or science subjects are predicted to experience a pay boost of 33.1 per cent.
In contrast, boys who take two STEM A-levels are expected to earn less than eight per cent more on average than those who focus on other subjects.
Mrs Morgan told The Telegraph: “More girls are studying maths and sciences than ever before and today’s landmark report shows this can benefit their earnings by as much as a third.
“Encouraging more young people – especially girls – to study STEM subjects is a vital part of our plan for education and it has been vindicated by this in-depth research.”
Researchers from London Economics analysed data relating to 13,000 people who had gone through the education system since 1970.
They found that those who performed well in maths tests at primary school went on to earn 25 per cent more than their peers regardless of what other qualifications they picked up as teenagers.
Mrs Morgan hailed the success of a drive by the Government and schools to encourage more girls to take science and maths, which she said had seen 10,000 more female pupils sit exams in those areas.
The numbers taking Chemistry at A-level have risen by 19 per cent, physics by 15 per cent, biology by 12 per cent and maths by eight per cent.
Earlier this month, the Department for Education produced research showing that getting two or more A-levels added an extra £140,000 to a child’s future lifetime earnings.
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