On the Adjusted Rate of Return to Women’s University Education: a Preliminary Study of Oecd Countries

This paper introduces an ‘adjusted’ rate of return (ROR) to women’s university education. The adjusted ROR is estimated by comparing the earnings of female university graduates to the earnings of male high school graduates. Results from a comparison of seventeen OECD countries reveal that the overall average of the adjusted ROR is actually negative: On average, female university graduates earn less than male high school graduates. An analysis of earnings between men and women in Japan is presented as an illustrative case. The adjusted ROR may be a helpful measure in policy analysis , both in broadening the perspectives of ROR estimations, and in future discussions which involve gender equality in education and labour market outcomes.