Female graduates in the UK fall behind men from the very start of their careers, even when they have taken the same courses, according to a Financial Times analysis of Department for Education data. On average, male graduates earn £34,700 five years after graduating, 14.1% higher than the £30,400 earned by women.
While earlier research suggested the gender pay gap was largely driven by course choice, the data shows that men are also more likely to prioritise lucrative careers. For instance, male maths graduates typically move into computer programming, earning £49,600 five years after graduation, while female maths graduates most commonly become schoolteachers, earning £34,300.
The analysis reveals that male graduates earned more than women in 29 of 35 subject groups. The widest gap was in architecture, where men earned 19% more (£6,200) five years after graduating. Within individual courses, the disparity can be starker: men graduating in psychology from Durham University in 2017 earned 64% more than their female peers five years later.
Even in STEM fields, women are more likely to enter lower-paid roles such as teaching, while men often move into IT, finance, or other higher-paying careers. Similar patterns are seen in business and management, where men disproportionately enter finance and IT, while women gravitate towards retail, health and social care, or teaching.
Sheila Flavell CBE, COO of FDM Group, commented: “This research shows that something must be done to tackle the gender pay gap from the very start of women’s careers. It is unacceptable that female graduates are falling behind their male peers, even when they study the same subjects. At FDM, our latest Gender Pay Gap report shows a result of -1.7%, supported by initiatives such as our Returners Programme and female-only tech bootcamps that help close the gap.
“Businesses must take the lead in closing this gap by prioritising upskilling and providing the right training and career progression opportunities for women. As AI becomes more integral to business operations, empowering women with the right skills and support is crucial. In order to build a stronger, more competitive tech sector, organisations must ensure women are at the forefront of the industry’s future.”
Experts note that this early-career gap occurs despite Office for National Statistics data showing little difference in pay under the age of 30 in the wider workforce.
Xiaowei Xu, Senior Research Economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, explained that “the biggest difference is at the very top” of the pay scale, reflecting a reversal of historic patterns where gaps were widest among less-qualified workers.
Other factors contribute to the disparity, men are more motivated by pay, more aggressive in job applications, and willing to switch roles for better offers.
Additionally, AI may alter future earnings, with men more likely to occupy AI-exposed, higher-paying roles such as software development and financial advising, while women dominate lower-paid, lower-AI-risk fields such as nursing and teaching.
