Tracking the Progress of American Women in Degree Attainments

New data from the U.S. Department of Education shows the tremendous progress women made in degree attainments in the first decade of the 21st century.

In the 1999-2000 academic year, women earned 60.3 percent of all associate’s degrees earned in the United States. By the 2009-2010 academic year, women earned 62.0 percent of all associate’s degrees awarded.

In a bachelor’s degree awards, the percentage of women among all degree earners remained stable at about 57.5 percent.

But in master’s degree awards, the percentage of women among all degree earned jumped from 60.0 percent in 1999-2000 to 62.6 percent in 2009-10.

The gains in doctoral degrees for women were the most impressive. In the 1999-2000 academic year, women earned 47 percent of all doctoral degree earned in the United States. By the 2009-2010 academic year, women earned 53.3 percent of all doctoral degrees awarded. These degrees include the Ph.D., Ed.D. and professional doctorates in medicine, law, dentistry, etc.