Characteristics of doctorate recipients
Sex
Between 1957 and 2016, the median age at which women received their doctoral degree generally tracked that of men, although women's median age was higher. Median age peaked in 1992 at 33.3 years for men and 36.2 years for women. Since 1989, the gap between the two medians has been steadily closing. In 2016, women's median age (32.0 years) was only slightly higher than men's median age (31.3 years). This difference in median ages narrowed noticeably over time: from 4.7 years in 1957 to 3.2 years in 1989 and to 0.7 years in 2016.
Median age at doctorate award, by sex: 1957–2016
| Year | All doctorates | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | 32.2 | 31.8 | 36.5 |
| 1958 | 32.2 | 31.8 | 36.4 |
| 1959 | 32.0 | 31.7 | 36.7 |
| 1960 | 31.9 | 31.7 | 36.2 |
| 1961 | 31.9 | 31.6 | 36.7 |
| 1962 | 31.9 | 31.6 | 36.3 |
| 1963 | 31.8 | 31.6 | 36.0 |
| 1964 | 31.8 | 31.5 | 35.8 |
| 1965 | 31.6 | 31.3 | 35.0 |
| 1966 | 31.5 | 31.2 | 34.8 |
| 1967 | 31.3 | 31.0 | 34.9 |
| 1968 | 31.2 | 31.0 | 34.2 |
| 1969 | 30.8 | 30.6 | 33.7 |
| 1970 | 30.7 | 30.4 | 33.0 |
| 1971 | 30.8 | 30.5 | 32.9 |
| 1972 | 31.1 | 30.8 | 32.9 |
| 1973 | 31.3 | 31.1 | 32.6 |
| 1974 | 31.4 | 31.3 | 32.3 |
| 1975 | 31.6 | 31.3 | 32.5 |
| 1976 | 31.7 | 31.4 | 32.7 |
| 1977 | 31.7 | 31.3 | 32.8 |
| 1978 | 31.7 | 31.3 | 32.9 |
| 1979 | 31.9 | 31.6 | 33.2 |
| 1980 | 32.2 | 31.8 | 33.5 |
| 1981 | 32.4 | 31.9 | 33.8 |
| 1982 | 32.6 | 32.0 | 34.0 |
| 1983 | 32.8 | 32.2 | 34.4 |
| 1984 | 33.1 | 32.3 | 34.8 |
| 1985 | 33.3 | 32.6 | 35.2 |
| 1986 | 33.6 | 32.8 | 35.5 |
| 1987 | 33.7 | 32.8 | 35.4 |
| 1988 | 33.8 | 33.0 | 35.8 |
| 1989 | 33.9 | 33.0 | 36.2 |
| 1990 | 33.9 | 33.1 | 36.2 |
| 1991 | 34.0 | 33.2 | 36.2 |
| 1992 | 34.1 | 33.3 | 36.2 |
| 1993 | 34.2 | 33.3 | 36.2 |
| 1994 | 34.1 | 33.3 | 35.9 |
| 1995 | 33.9 | 33.2 | 35.6 |
| 1996 | 33.8 | 33.2 | 35.4 |
| 1997 | 33.7 | 33.1 | 34.8 |
| 1998 | 33.7 | 33.1 | 34.7 |
| 1999 | 33.7 | 33.2 | 34.7 |
| 2000 | 33.6 | 33.0 | 34.5 |
| 2001 | 33.3 | 32.8 | 34.3 |
| 2002 | 33.3 | 32.9 | 34.1 |
| 2003 | 33.3 | 32.9 | 34.0 |
| 2004 | 33.3 | 32.8 | 33.9 |
| 2005 | 33.0 | 32.6 | 33.6 |
| 2006 | 32.7 | 32.4 | 33.2 |
| 2007 | 32.5 | 32.2 | 33.0 |
| 2008 | 32.3 | 32.0 | 32.8 |
| 2009 | 32.2 | 32.0 | 32.6 |
| 2010 | 32.2 | 31.9 | 32.5 |
| 2011 | 32.0 | 31.8 | 32.2 |
| 2012 | 31.9 | 31.7 | 32.1 |
| 2013 | 31.8 | 31.6 | 32.1 |
| 2014 | 31.7 | 31.4 | 31.9 |
| 2015 | 31.6 | 31.3 | 31.9 |
| 2016 | 31.6 | 31.3 | 32.0 |
- SOURCE: Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities 2016. Related detailed data: table 27.
