EQUITY DATA SHOWS MINORITY WOMEN FARING BETTER THAN MEN IN COLLEGE, BUT NOT IN HIRING SALARIES

SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) is releasing equity data that outlines gender-based differences for most race/ethnicity groups on nearly all measures. This is in addition to previously released data indicating the gaps for race/ethnicity groups in general.

"When Gov. JB Pritzker appointed this board with a clear focus on closing equity gaps in Illinois higher education, we knew that we needed to start with an honest and sober look at all the data so that we could begin our strategic planning process with a clear understanding of where the system is falling short," said IBHE Chair John Atkinson. "These data, along with our report last month, tell that difficult story. It remains clear that we have a lot of work to do."

"This data is hard to look at, but we need to see it to know where higher education in Illinois needs to improve," said IBHE Executive Director Ginger Ostro. "This new data, disaggregated by gender, surprised us and gives us more information as we focus on how to pursue equity."

"The difference in enrollment cannot be explained by overall Illinois population numbers. The number of African-American males in Illinois is 309,204, just 11,528 higher than the number of African-American females," said Ostro. It's a similar case for Latinx residents in Illinois, with males outnumbering females by 15,895 for a total of 491,475 (according to IPUMS American Community Survey 2018 data).

When it comes to starting salaries for college graduates, the reverse happens. "We've always known that in general, men make more money than women although that gap is slowly tightening. Despite minority females attending college at a higher rate than males, salaries are off kilter. Now we see how out-of-balance we are in early earnings in race/ethnic groups," said Ostro.

Overall, females with the same education level earn less than males. In this data, the gap is smallest at $3,638 for Black females as compared to Black males at one year past graduation, and highest at $8,764 for White females as compared to White males at three years past graduation.

Over the last two years, IBHE has elevated equity as a top priority in both day-to-day decisions and outreach efforts, as well as in the strategic planning process. In addition, Gov. JB Pritzker and lawmakers approved an additional $50 million for the previous academic year for Monetary Assistance Program (MAP) funding to help more students in financial need access higher education. The Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund includes $48 million that will be used to support targeted initiatives to enroll and retain underrepresented, first-generation, and high-need students of color at community colleges, public universities and non-profit, independent four-year institutions of higher education in Illinois.