Women have long earned less money than men for doing the same type of work, but a new report from the White House suggests that the wage gap is wider in the professions that women tend to choose.

The White House report, “Women in America: Indicators of Social And Economic Well-Being,” was released in time for Women’s History Month. While the wage gap between the sexes tends to narrow when it comes to some STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields that can offer lucrative salaries, women more often choose to work in lower paying education and healthcare occupations, Bureau of Labor Statistics information in the report suggests.

The wage gaps within STEM fields themselves tend to vary. For example, Labor Bureau information in the report suggests that women in life, physical and social science occupations might expect to earn 79 percent of a man’s $1,190 median weekly earnings. In computer and math occupations, the earnings for women increased to 88 percent of a man’s $1,304 per week, information from the agency shows.

Nevertheless, fewer than 10 percent of female professionals as of 2009 were employed in computer and engineering occupations as compared with 43 percent of the male professionals, according to Labor Bureau. “Women in America” suggests that the differences in math test scores between girls and boys could have something to do with the direction they take in their careers.

It’s possible that women, as a group, might nevertheless earn more than their male counterparts – primarily because the same percentage of women have been working since about 1997, while the percentage of working men has declined.

*guest blog post by Michelle Sheldone