Women who work in field or enter high-earning certificate fields do well. And certificates may be a good option for women to gain credentials that allow them to adjust their hours or to go in and out of the labor force easily to accommodate their need to stay home because of family responsibilities.

Myth: Women are absent in the IT field.

Fact: Of credentialed workers, women are equally represented in computer and information services fields (See table 1).

IT field breakdown

While this does mean that women are prevalent in IT fields, the reality is that “in computer and information services, men working in field earn $72,498 per year, while women only make $56,664 annually”. Although the salary of $56,664 is greater than the salary of 64% of women with a Bachelor’s degree*, the disparity in pay between men and women must be recognized. On a lighter note, credential programs offer women nonmonetary payoffs; such as job freedom, career relevance, and decreased work stress. For example, certificates allow women to adjust their work hours to accommodate familial needs, as well as individual preferences.

* “In computer and information services, men working in field earn $72,498 per year, which is more than 72 percent of men with an Associate’s degree and 54 percent of men with Bachelor’s degrees. Women with certificates in this field and working in a related occupation earn $56,664 annually, which is greater than 75 percent of women with an Associate’s degree and 64 percent of women with a Bachelor’s degree.”

Did you know?

Teams with more women perform better on collective intelligence tests