Female European students expect to earn 21% less than men after their graduation (men expect a graduate starting salary of €40,898). The findings come from a recent report from the Swedish consultancy Universum, ran in top 100 European academic institutions.

Reasons seem to lie in the fact that women and men have different workplace and career aspirations. To be a leader or manager of people (34% of men vs. 22% of women) and a technical or functional expert (22% of men vs. 14% of women) were more important to men, whereas women gave more importance to secure employment (36% of women vs. 26% of men) and to be dedicated to a cause or serve a greater good (32% of women vs. 23% of men).

The prestige of working for a great company is more important for men (31% of men vs. 24% of women), whereas high ethical standards is more important for women (30% of women versus 20% of men).

However, overall, the report shows that Europe’s top students are more attracted by the prestige of a potential employer, rather than by its CSR & ethical standards.