Education gains help women avoid brunt of job losses in economic downturn _ at least for now

Census: Women equal to men in advanced degrees

WASHINGTON — Women are now just as likely than men to have completed college and are virtually equal in earning advanced degrees.

So says the Census Bureau, highlighting an accelerating trend of educational gains for women that has helped shield them from recent job losses. The new figures show that about 29 percent of all women in the U.S. have at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to 30 percent of men. Measured by raw numbers, women already surpass men in undergraduate degrees, by roughly 1.2 million.

Women also have drawn even with men in advanced degrees, making up roughly half of those with a master’s, professional degree or doctorate. At current rates, women could surpass men in total advanced degrees this year, even though they lag in business, science and engineering.