Rio de Janeiro, Nov 1 (IANS/EFE): Women are in majority at Brazilian universities but still earn less than men in the job market, according to a study.

The study, prepared by the Brazilian Geography and Statistics Institute, based on data from the 2010 census, shows that women take university courses that lead to lower paying jobs.

Education is the worst paying area of employment, and 83 percent of those who majored in that field are women, followed by humanities and arts, in which 74.2 percent of students are female.

In all areas, women's salaries are lower than men's, with the biggest differences in the highest paying fields, which are precisely those with a predominant masculine presence.

In education, men earn an average of 2,340 reals ($975) and women 1,687 reals, or 72.1 percent of the male salary.

In engineering and construction, the most male-dominated sector with only a 21.9 percent participation of women, men earn 5,565 reals and women 66.4 percent of that amount at 3,661 reals.