A graph pertaining the show the differences in student debt levels between men and women has caused widespread debate on social media.
The graph, shared by X user @eyeslasho, shows how men are paying off their student loans, while women went over a decade without seeing their outstanding loans decline.
Of debt taken out in 2009-2010, for women, the percent of their original loan they still owed outstanding peaked at 110%, only going below their starting loan balance in the post-pandemic era, after interest payments were frozen for years.
Debt levels increased at first for men too, which you’d expect considering few college students are prioritizing paying off student loans, but the level for men continued to decline after 2012 while remaining stagnant for women.
It was only in 2023 when women, on average, who graduated in 2009 saw the percentage of their loan amount remaining fall below 100%. By contrast, men crossed this threshold in 2014 and have now paid off around 30% of their original loan.
The simplest explanation for this is college major, and nothing else. The highest paying majors are dominated by men, while the lowest paying are dominated by women.
Some courses, such as Agriculture and Natural Resources, Social Sciences, Parks/Recreation/Fitness Studies and Business, saw a near 50-50 split.
On the contrary, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health Professions and Related Programs, and Public Administration and Social Services saw a large majority of female participants, while engineering programs were dominated by male uptake.
The graph left many others sharing their own theories as to the reasoning behind the discrepancies.
Why do you think that postgraduates, particularly females, are struggling to pay off student debt? Let us know in the comments below.
