Two Classes. Separate But…Equal?

Here is some data from the Pew Research Center on the generational differences in how much people earn by education. The chart shows income by high school graduates — which is most of the country, some college — this includes getting an associate degree, and bachelor’s degree and higher — which includes professional degrees like M.D. and J.D., as well as PhDs.

I will use this data in my class to illustrate what a cohort means in social science research. Cohorts are people who share a characteristic or condition. In the chart above, people are grouped based on their age at a certain historical period in American society. For example, if you were between the ages of 25 and 37 in 1968, you were a member of what Pew calls the “Silent Generation.” It is the group that were children just before and after the “Greatest Generation” fought World War II. If you were between 25 and 37 in 1982, you are an “Early Boomer.” In 1989, a “Late Boomer.” In 2001, “Gen X” (that’s me). And then, finally, Millennials in 2018.

The earnings gap between people with education and those without has widened over the generations. If you are a member of the Silent Generation, then the fellas (and it was usually fellas) who didn’t go to college were making about $14,000 less than fellas who had a bachelor’s and higher. But for Millennials, that gap — now including men and women — is now about…