Women on average take on greater student loans than men do and have a harder time repaying those loans due to the gender pay gap, according to a new report from the American Association of University Women (AAUW), which included community colleges in its research.
Women represented 56 percent of U.S. college and university enrollments in fall 2016, but they also hold almost two-thirds of the country’s $1.3-trillion student debt, the report says.
“Because of the gender pay gap, they have less disposable income with which to repay their loans after graduating from college, so they require more time to pay back their student debt than do men,” it said.
On average, women take on more debt than men do at almost every degree level and type, from associate degrees to doctoral degrees and across institution types. Across degree levels, women on average take on initial student loan balances that are about 14 percent greater than men’s in a given year, said the report, which analyzed data from the federal government and other organizations.
The AAUW report also presents statistics by race and ethnicity as well as other demographics. The pace of repayment is particularly slow for black and Hispanic women, it said.
Among AAUW’s policy recommendations to address the issue: Protect federal Pell grants and ensure they serve all students; consider income-driven repayment plans; address additional costs that women students face, such as child care; and improve data collection and transparency, especially for community colleges, on which the federal government lacks accurate information on students.
