The sort of jobs in which low-education males congregate, namely construction and manufacturing, are more likely to pay higher wages than the sort of jobs in which low-education females congregate, namely service industries. This gives females an added incentive to endure a bit more education and training than their male counterparts.
But note, the wage gap between men with and without bachelor’s degrees starts small but grows over time as better-educated men enjoy more opportunities for career advancement. And as the recession showed, those well-paying jobs in construction and manufacturing can disappear quickly and be slow to return.
