A new study that examines the >a href="http://compensation.blr.com/analysis/Compensation/Compensation-Administration/" target="_blank">graduate earning returns for various college degrees will be good news for women. In fact, a study by Activia shows females experience a much better return on their investment than males.

The study also examined the differences in graduate earning returns relative to type of degree. The data highlight the differences in return on investment (ROI) between men and women. Of course, for both sexes, certain majors, such as medicine and dentistry, had higher ROIs.

However, for the majors surveyed in the study, women had higher ROIs in all majors except business administration and ranked higher on the average of all majors.

Of course, there is still a stark gap in salaries paid to men versus women. A press release by Activia, based in the United Kingdom, says that research by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development has shown that the U.K. and United States have a considerable disparity between what women and men earn. In the U.K., men earn 17.5% more than women, and in the U.S. the pay gap is 17.9%.

Data compiled from the U.K. Department for Business Innovation and Skills indicates that despite this gender pay gap, the “marginal earnings return” for women is actually higher than that for men. Nevertheless, the “net graduate premium” for men is higher than for women. The marginal earning return is determined when the average cost for an undergraduate or master’s degree is compared with the average entry-level salary in the given sector.

The net graduate premium represents the present value of the benefits associated with an undergraduate degree relative to an individual in possession of an advanced degree minus the present value of the costs associated with acquiring the higher degree, according to the study.

Gavan Colon, of consulting firm London Economics, a contributor to the study, explains why the net graduate premium is higher for men than women. “Women not in possession of higher education degrees are more likely to achieve lower earnings than men. This is the main reason why their earnings premium is higher than for men in percentage terms, but the financial or monetary benefit is lower in absolute terms.”

However, Steve Warren, of Activia, points out that women in creative fields, such as design and journalism, “get a lot more out of their education than their male counterparts. Even in fields like medicine and business, the data shows an unmistakably higher return on investment for females [29.7% for women versus 23.7% for men in the U.K.].”

Warren explains that, “This should give business leaders food for thought when tackling the issue of gender pay inequality.”

The full study, with interactive infographics, is published on the Activia Training website.