DEFINITION
Percent college-level educational attainment of female adults aged 25 years or older, reported in 2019.60
Lookbook Vol. 2
Women with a College Degree
OKLAHOMA 35.8 percent
NATIONAL AVERAGE Data Highlight: 43.4 percent “Between 2004 and 2014, the share of Black women with a bachelor’s degree or higher increased by 23.9 percent nationwide, making Black women the group of women with the second-largest improvement in attainment of higher education during the decade.” 60,61 Why We Care: Education is a social determinant of health that is linked to higher wages. 62 The ability to make higher wages in a more stable job can reduce stress and increase a woman’s ability to afford healthier foods, safer living options, and in Oklahoma’s current Medicaid non-expansion state, continuous health care. Educational attainment provides many Oklahoma women with security and independence, however, outcomes can be bleak for women who access higher education, but do not earn a degree.62 Black women are more likely than any other racial or ethnic group to access higher education, with a 23.9 increase in degree attainment between 2004 and 2014, but are the second-highest ranked in completion.61 Accessing higher education but not earning a degree can create financial hardship as the combination of student loan borrowing without degree attainment can thwart higher earnings and increase debt. 60,63
p. 39
What We Can Do: - Increase access to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), skilled trades, and other disciplines that are in demand, with high earning potential, where women are underrepresented - Advocate for fair pay in professions that are predominated by women - Maintain federal grants that provide support for parenting students
