Labour Research July 2023

Equality news

Female graduates

New figures from the Higher Education Statistics Authority indicate that salaries for female graduates have fallen behind those of their male counterparts.

The annual survey saw more than 355,000 graduates who finished their degree courses in the 2020-21 academic year reporting their employment status 15 months after leaving university.

Despite achieving the same level of qualifications, first class female graduates had a median salary of £25,000 — £2,000 lower than men.

And there was a higher proportion of men earning the top graduate salaries.

Every salary band above £30,000 saw a higher proportion of men. And below this level, women outnumbered men.