Why is the gap in earnings between female and male graduates so stark?

Women in their 30s fall further behind in the workplace. Eleanor Busby looks at why

Women graduates of Russell Group universities do not seem to benefit financially later on (Getty)

Young women secure better GCSE and A-level grades on average than their male peers and they are significantly more likely to go to university than men.

But once these graduates enter the workplace, men reap the benefits when it comes to wages especially after the age of 29, the latest analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) shows.

The gender pay gap for graduates in their 30s is bleak. Median earnings of men who attended university rise by about £15,000 from age 30 to 40, compared to just £5,000 for women.