In a study of nearly 13,000 graduating seniors last fall, researchers discovered that the median starting salary for female college graduates with bachelor’s degrees was $36,451. Not bad, right? Except that the median salary for male college graduates with a bachelor’s degree was $7,708 more. For the same job.

So, apparently having a penis gets you a pay raise? I guess all of those nights I spent praying for boobs in 7th grade would’ve been better spent asking for something else.

The statistics are sad and infuriating. After all, women make up over 50% of university classes! We’re being educated like never before, so it’s not like that’s working against our changes. And the study could not find a correlation between college major and earning, meaning that it’s not like guys are making more money because they tend to pursue a field that pays more. They’re just getting paying more…because they’re men. And keep in mind this is before the company sees any type of job performance.

That sounds fair and equal.

I realize things have improved tremendously for women in the work place, but seriously? We’re graduating college at higher rates than men, and working harder than most men, so where is our compensation? I’m not asking to be paid more, I just want to be paid the same amount. You know, what I deserve.

The best part about this whole mess: companies are claiming they pay women less because they are more likely to leave to pursue a family life. Okay, that’s great for the women who are. But, and just putting this out there, not all women want that. Some want kick-ass careers instead. And on a bit of a side note, how does leaving a company earlier make for a reason to not pay the same starting salary?

I thought we were past this. I thought this was something I’d never have to deal with in my life. Clearly, I thought wrong.

For years, women’s participation in the United States workforce was greatly limited. However, throughout the country’s history, women have made great strides toward equality in the workforce. We even get to run blogs!

So today, in honor of the female CEOs, doctors, teachers, political figures and more, our friends from the CreditScore Blog are helping us celebrate women in the workplace.

Thankfully, since all our favorite TV shows did the rerun thing this week (well, except for Jersey Shore’s lame ass finale), it’s not like there was much else going on to occupy my time. That meant plenty of time to focus on making myself more approachable, and answer the many pressing questions CollegeCandy proposed:

What are the most ubiquitous college student stereotypes?

Why is everyone making such a big deal about the Glee GQ photos?

We call ourselves accepting?

Why are people still dating John Mayer?

Why are Yale frat boys so disgusting?

What does a girl’s drink of choice say about her?

At what point in a relationship can you forgo condoms?

What is it really like to live in a sorority house full of estrogen?

What happens when you wear sweat pants every day? (Hint: it starts with muffin and ends with top.)

Where is the best place in the world to be a woman?

So, I was surprised by the news this week that America ranks nineteenth in gender equality. In other words, based on factors including salary equality, education, political representation and life expectancy, the Global Gender Gap Report determined that women in eighteen countries come out ahead of us American females.

I was disappointed, but maybe I should have been happy- nineteen is a big improvement from 31^st last year, and 27^th the year before.

Nineteenth out of 134 countries really isn’t terrible…but it isn’t exactly wonderful either. In a high school graduating class, the land of the free and the home of the brave wouldn’t have even received Honors. Iceland would be the valedictorian of woman’s equality, but I don’t suggest a mass exodus of down-stuffed-parka-wearing women to the Nordic country. (I spent one shivering winter in Chicago and that was enough for me.) Even there, women don’t have it as great as men.

Many left dateless on the 60:40 male to female campuses won’t be surprised that the U.S. is one of twenty-two countries that offers equal education attainment for men and women. America is also near the top of economic participation and opportunity (number 6), an encouraging find as we graduate and join the workforce. In fact, in the U.S., women are ahead of men as professional and technical workers.

What screws us over, then, is the subindex category “political empowerment.” Now I know we’ve never had a female president, but there are women politicians out there. Look at our Secretary of State! And all those Congresswomen, like Olympia Snowe! And Barbara Boxer! And…  others? (I’m realizing now how many more male than female politicians I can name.)

America is 40^th in this category, after some countries not particularly known for their human rights, like Argentina, Cuba and Uganda. We’ll never improve our equality ranking if we keep electing so many more male than female politicians. Beyond the obvious gender gap this creates, there’s also the issue that policy concerning women’s right will be drafted, debated and passed by a testosterone driven government. We don’t get to make the rules that concern us.

I think the best way to kick Iceland off it’s glacial throne is by supporting as many female candidates as we can, even if they’re not running in our districts, and maybe even running for office ourselves one day.

What do you think? How can we decrease the gender gap in America?

Watch out men – here we come!

The most memorable TV moments of 2009.

Kim Kardashian’s making bank with Twitter.

The 7 worst marriage proposals.

10 ways to winterize a summer dress.

Is Katy Perry engaged?

Finally being dropped into the “9-5” has me thinking a lot more about my future. What if I want to be the chief executive one day? How feasible is that? What would my income be?

Although it is possible for a woman to become a CEO, out of the “Fortune 500” (the USA’s 500 biggest publicly traded companies), only thirteen of those CEOs are female. That’s only 2.6%.

We’ve had our first female presidential and vice-presidential candidate in the past year and higher education for women is on the rise, yet women are still not holding top positions in companies. The cherry on top of all of this? Even the women who have managed to make their way to the top are still the worst paid out of all CEOs.

Aside from the incredible income disparities, the issue we should be focusing on is why women CEOs are such a rare commodity, not necessarily the size of the paychecks. In 2005, Sheila Wellington was interviewed by Anne Fisher (CNN Money) on this exact issue. Wellington was no stranger to gender discrimination; she was forced to sign an agreement when she accepted her first position after graduating from Radcliffe that stated that she must not get pregnant for at least her first two years.

Wellington went on to become the president of Catalyst, a non-profit research group and is now a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. When confronted with the question of the lack of female executives, Wellington stated, “I think we are in the midst of a cycle right now where there is a widespread perception that women aren’t fully committed to their careers. It tends to happen every time the spotlight is on a high-ranking woman who flames out, like [former Hewlett-Packard CEO] Carly Fiorina. You start hearing all kinds of people analyzing ‘what women are doing wrong.’”

Wellington goes on to say that the corporate perception of women must alter before women can reach high levels. She blames sexist perceptions such as, “women don’t like to travel” or “women don’t take risks” as platitudes that cloud judgment when hiring female executives. The antiquated mindset that females won’t succeed because of familial obligations, emotional reactions, high drama and lack of critical thinking hinders women from succeeding. Don’t think those perceptions are still out there? Just ask Neil French who resigned as WPP Group worldwide creative director after saying women in advertising “don’t make it to the top because they don’t deserve to.” This sentiment is common according to Wellington.

Does this mean that I can’t become a CEO one day? Working for a Fortune 500 has pushed my desire to do just that. But when I do get that position, do I have to give up my femininity, desire to have a family in the future, penchant for emotional outbursts once in a while, and indulging in guilty pleasures like Gossip Girl? I think not. The mentality around females in executive positions needs to be changed, not the female executives themselves.

Once the archaic stereotypes of women have left the workplace, then companies will realize that women are valuable assets in executive positions. It’s up to Gen Y to break those stereotypes, put much more than just cracks in the glass ceiling and finally finish construction on that bridge to somewhere.

Is gender equality in college that important?

According to NPR, colleges are favoring male applicants ahead of female candidates, in order to keep schools from becoming overwhelmingly female. Other than being a seemingly blatant violation of Title IX, I can’t quite figure out if this is good or bad.

So I took a look at both sides:

Gender balance on a college campus is not a bad thing. It’s been a long standing argument for Affirmative Action that diversity enhances the learning experience, and it’s true. Guys see things differently than us ladies and hearing their perspective can really change the way we think. As a graduate of an all-girls high school, I can honestly say that having males in the college classroom was a welcomed change and a truly eye-opening experience. And even what happens outside of the classroom – including dating – is an important part of college life and growing up.

And let’s not pretend we don’t see the obvious perk here. With colleges accepting more male students there will be less competition on the hunt for a boyfriend. You may be just as romantically-challenged, but at least there are less girls around to point that out. Can’t hate that.

But on the other hand, what is the problem with having a majority of female students on the college campus? It’s not our fault that we woman are more intelligent than guys. And you don’t see many people trying to fix the wage gap that exists between us! Acceptance should be based on merit, not on gender. Favoring male candidates is a numbers game that seems unnecessary.  Besides, some say marriage only works if the woman is smarter than her husband. For the sake of the relationship, shouldn’t we just leave those boys at home?

What do you think? Should colleges discriminate against women in order to maintain the gender balance? Or should colleges let things run it’s natural course, which obviously ends with women taking over the world?

Dude, where are all the dudes?!

Here’s some food for thought: for every 100 women at American colleges, there are only 77 men. And for every 100 women who graduate from American colleges, only 73 guys manage to snag their Bachelor’s degree.

The college gender gap isn’t a new phenomenon—women first started outnumbering men in 1982—but it is widening by a significant margin every year. I knew that there were statistically more women than men in the world of higher education (and of a much higher caliber), but I had no idea that the discrepancy was so huge. Projections show that enrollment could soon grow closer to a 60/40 ratio, making men even scarcer on campuses than they are already.

I’m really mystified by the extent of the gender gap. Where the hell are all the guys going? Haven’t they heard that college is awesome—an opportunity to open your mind and push your liver to its absolute limit, one last chance to enjoy freedom from responsibility before being unceremoniously thrust headfirst into the real world? (Can you tell I’m a senior?)  And on a more serious note, don’t they know that having a B.A. is pretty much essential if they want to get a good job?

Does the scarcity of dudes mean that a college environment is naturally more suited to girls than guys? The fact that our culture views guy-centric things like football games and wild frat parties as stereotypically “college” activities would seem to contradict this idea, but it’s hard to argue with the numbers.

Either way, one thing’s for certain—I finally have a valid excuse for why I’m single. It’s not that I’m doing something wrong; there just aren’t enough guys to go around! Comforting, right? So all the single ladies, put your hands up: statistics have officially proven that your boyfriend-deficiency isn’t your fault. And everyone knows that statistics don’t lie.

It’s ridiculous – if we do the same work, we should get paid the same. Am I right!? [Crowd cheers.]

But I’m here to say that we not only deserve equal pay, but should actually be making more money than men. Here are 5 very real reasons why:

1. Women are biologically superior to men. We have a longer life expectancy, more grey matter in our brains (it’s useful stuff, trust me) and can have multiple orgasms. We aren’t as susceptible to many inherited diseases (like hemophilia and colorblindness) because we have two X chromosomes rather than just one.

2. We work twice as much. Most women and men work eight-hour days. But when women get home, they have to cook, clean, and take care of the kids. This extra work is known by feminists as the “second shift” and we deserve to be compensated for it.

3. Women are more qualified than man. Women get better grades and take more advanced placement classes in high school. Nearly sixty-percent of undergraduate college students are women, and women earn more bachelor and graduate degrees then men.

4. We should be compensated for all the years we were screwed. Women have made significantly less than men since we joined the work force. I’m not going to do the math but that adds up to a LOT of money, and we deserve to be paid more now to make up for it.

5. Women shop more than men. Women buy things for themselves, their lover, and their friends. Women do the majority of the grocery and household goods shopping. We decorate out homes, plan the family parties, and (increasingly) pick out the family car. Since we spend the most money, we should be making the most money.

It’s time women made what they were worth, and that’s a hell of a lot more than 80 cents to every male dollar. [Crowd goes wild.]

Seriously. Growing up with two brothers, I was always jealous of how quickly and easily they could rid themselves of their Yoo-Hoo juice boxes. I tried it a few times (I can’t believe I’m admitting this), but it was far from a success. Unless you consider washing the bathmat and changing my pants a success.

My desire for the speediness peeing standing up allowed only intensified with each passing bathroom line at a party. I attempted to use the men’s room many times – because there is never a line there – but the weird looks and disgusting floors became just too much for me. So I stopped. And I waited in line like a lady while my fellow squatters took their sweet ass time.

It is infuriating, boring and a total buzz kill. But it looks like it may be a problem no longer. Ladies, we can finally pee like the boys do.

Sarah Dillon, who is now officially my hero, created a product that allows women to go #1 without wasting all that time sittin’ down. It was originally created to help older women who were unable to sit due to knee or hip surgery, but she realized that younger and agile women could benefit from it too.

Now, instead of wasting all that time pulling down those tight jeans (or worse, tights), covering the seat in TP, sittin’ down and doing your thing, then squeezing back into your pants, you can simply whip this thing out and pee on your feet. Well, not literally on your feet, but you know what I’m saying.

The Go-Girl is cheap ($4.99), sterile, compact (fits in your purse!), and can be reused…if you really want to. Oh, and it’s pink. Tres chic!

The bathroom was the final frontier for bridging the gender gap and it we are finally there. And just in time, too. My birthday party is coming up and I do not want to waste any time at the bar standing in line.