I want to know I can get a job and take care of myself. Finney said the need for financial security usually drives women's educational success. For women, the payoff is pretty significant. Women who don't go to college face bleak financial prospects. Women need far more education than men to achieve the same income, Carnevale said.
Some educators say women are more focused in school.
Doug Toma, an assistant professor of education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, works with graduate students. His female students tend to do better, paying attention to details and striving to do everything the best they can. In high school, girls generally get better grades while boys tend to get higher scores on standardized tests. Toma said habits learned early on have prepared women to persevere in college. The women in our class were just more serious.