More and more adults are earning a tertiary qualification, but not all tertiary degrees have the same value on the labour
market. In general, postgraduate degrees such as master’s and doctoral degrees are associated with higher employment
rates and earnings than bachelor’s degrees. Labour market outcomes also vary by field of education. Some fields of education
differ markedly in their gender composition, reflecting the sex-typing of occupations and gender stereotypes. Graduates’
field of education is closely related with their occupational choices; therefore a better understanding of gender disparities in
this area can help to identify some of the mechanisms that lie behind gender differences in the labour market and beyond.
