Generations of people in the United States have seen higher education as the best path towards a well-paying and satisfying job. But the cost of attending colleges and universities in the country has increased greatly over the last 30 years. And there is no guarantee that earning a degree will lead to a job that pays a person enough to support a family.
So, some people turn to other forms of education and training. These include programs that lead to credentials(证书) that prove a person's abilities in a given field, from construction to healthcare. These kinds of programs often cost less than traditional degree programs. And they usually take less time to complete.
New research, however, suggests that these programs are not helping women as much as they are helping men. It is found that about 27 percent of adults in the country hold at least one of these credentials. Adults who had one of these non-degree credentials made more money and were more likely to be employed than those who did not.
Yet the public policy research group New America found some troubling information within that data. Experts there found that men and women earn these credentials at about the same rate. But men who have the same credentials as women are more likely to be employed. They also make more money.
For example, 74 percent of men with a certificate but no four-year college degree were employed. By comparison, 67 percent of women with a certificate but no four-year degree were employed.
In terms of pay, 46 percent of women with a credential but no four-year degree made less than $30,000 a year. The same was true for 25 percent of men. Seventeen percent of men with only a non-degree credential earned more than$75,000. Just five percent of women with similar credentials earned that much.
【小题1】What is the advantage of nontraditional degree programs?| A．Free of charge. | B．Less expensive. |
| C．Interesting to attend. | D．Popular with employers. |
| A．Women lost interest in non-degree programs. | B．Men looked down upon women. |
| C．Men and women are not equal. | D．Women are unwilling to work. |
| A．46%, | B．25%. |
| C．17%. | D．5%. |
| A．Non-degree Programs Benefit Men and Women Unequally |
| B．Non-Degree Programs Replace the Traditional Universities |
| C．It's Unfair That Men and Women Get Paid Differently |
| D．College Costs Are Becoming Higher and Higher |
