The majors of transgender and gender diverse college students

Abstract

AbstractThere is a documented wealth gap between cisgender and transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals. One potential contributing factor to the wealth gap is college major selection. Certain college majors (e.g. business and STEM majors) demand higher starting salaries and offer the opportunity for higher lifetime earnings. We hypothesized that TGD students may be more likely to select majors (e.g. arts and humanities) with lower starting salaries, which could impact their financial well-being. This project analyzed data from the 2017 and 2020 Study on Collegiate Financial Wellness (SCFW) (n = 1547). This study compared the percentage of TGD students who are in each major to the percentage of presumably cisgender students. The results of this exploratory study suggest support for the hypothesis. TGD college students are more likely to select art and humanities majors, and less likely to select business, science-related, and technology majors. These results should serve as a call for more research in this area and for more progress in developing inclusive college majors and careers for TGD students and professionals.Keywords: College majorscollege studentstransgendergender diverseintersex Additional informationNotes on contributorsKenneth J. WhiteKenneth J. White, PhD is an Associate Professor of Personal and Family Financial Planning in the Norton School of Human Ecology at the University of Arizona. Dr. White earned his Ph.D. in Consumer Sciences with a focus on Family Resource Management from The Ohio State University. His research interests include the financial well-being of historically marginalized families and individuals. He teaches financial planning courses in the Norton School’s CFP® Board Registered Program.Megan McCoyMegan McCoy, PhD, LMFT, AFC®, CFT-I™ is an Assistant Professor in the Personal Financial Planning at Kansas State University. Her teaching and research focus on integrating financial therapy topics, techniques, and theory into financial planning practice. She is the Co-Associate Editor of Financial Planning Review.Kim LoveKim Love is the owner and lead collaborator at K. R. Love Quantitative Consulting and Collaboration. She has a BA in mathematics (2003) from the University of Virginia, and an MS (2004) and PhD (2007) in statistics from Virginia Tech. After 2007 she worked as a statistical consultant and collaborator in multiple professional roles, most recently as the associate director of the University of Georgia’s Statistical Consulting Center.