Senator Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), among others, complains that “Women — particularly women of color — bear a disproportionate burden of the student loan debt crisis.” Is he implying that student debt is an instance of structural sexism?

Two quick points on this:

  1. Female graduates outnumber male graduates, 60-40.
  2. As with the so-called gender pay gap, there are other contributing factors, such as career and family choices, that help explain why women struggle more to pay off debt compared to men.