Over time, baccalaureate degrees, Associate degrees, and the accumulation of some college but without a credential have all increased, particularly for women, as their college-going rates have gone up. Only for vocational certificates is there no increase. If increasing rates of postsecondary education over cohorts have been led by increased demand for educated workers, then we would expect to see the returns to postsecondary education higher for younger cohorts. Tables 14 and 15 present the coefficients of schooling variables for men and women in these four cohorts for 1987 data only. For men, the returns to baccalaureate degrees are quite similar across the four cohorts.
Standard errors are in parentheses.
Standard errors are in parentheses. The effects of some college without credentials are similarly erratic. More substantial amounts of coursework, three to four years, are more likely to benefit younger workers. Finally, for older workers in the 55-64 age group, formal schooling below the baccalaureate level seems to make little difference in earnings. For women, the patterns are quite different.