Washington, Aug 10 - Higher education may have helped women catch up somewhat with men in terms of earnings, but according to new research there is one factor which is instrumental in perpetuating that gap -- the choice of subjects in college.

Women are still segregated into college majors that will lead them to careers with less pay than men, said Donna Bobbitt-Zeher, study author and assistant professor of sociology at Ohio State University (OSU).

'Gender segregation in college is becoming more influential in how men and women are rewarded later in life,' Bobbitt-Zeher said.

'If you really want to eliminate earnings inequality, college major segregation is a piece of the puzzle that really stands out.'

The findings are especially important now because many people assume that, if anything, college helps women more than it helps men nowadays.

'A lot of people look at data showing that women are more likely to go to college than men, and that women get better grades in college than men, and assume that everything is all right,' she said.