Men’s academic degrees more beneficial to Finland than those of women

In Portugal women’s tertiary education benefits society more than that of men, OECD's Education at a Glance report reveals

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A man’s university degree brings more economic benefit to Finnish society than a woman’s similar degree. In some other countries the situation is reversed.
      This year’s OECD Education at a Glance report also looks into the benefits of education from the society’s point of view.
      According to the report, a man’s academic degree benefits the Finnish society to the tune of EUR 84,400, against the corresponding OECD average of EUR 67,800.
     
When it comes to the usefulness of women’s higher education, however, Finland (EUR 32,700) remains below the OECD average (EUR 41,200).
      For example in Portugal or Turkey a woman’s university degree benefits the society more than that of a man.
      The calculated sums also vary greatly from one country to the next.
      When calculating the monetary benefits of education, the expenses side includes the loss of tax revenue during a person’s time as a student, the paid social benefits, and the public spending on organising the education.
      The revenue side consists of increased tax revenue from the higher level of income, and the savings in the amount of paid social benefits.
     
Counsellor of Education Matti Kyrö (National Board of Education) says that in Finland’s case the explanation may largely be in the difference in the salary levels of men and women.
      “A woman’s life-long earnings remain lower than those of men, if on average her time in education is longer and the time spent in employment are shorter than those of a man. In Finland the salary level of a woman with an academic degree is just over 70 per cent of that of a man”, Kyrö says.
     
Apart from the earnings level, the international variation is also explained by the differences in the length of education.
      In the OECD countries there are 200 million academically educated 25-64-year-olds.
      A third of them are in the United States, 15 per cent in Japan, and 0.5 per cent in Finland.
      In Finland, people begin their university studies about a year later than in the OECD countries on average.
      Half of the university-educated Finns graduate at the age of 27. The corresponding average age within the OECD is 25.


Links:
  OECD: Education at a Glance 2010

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