By: Chris Burt
February 24, 2021
Study: Women continue to be underrepresented among the highest earners at institutions across the U.S.
A new study from the American Association of University Women and the Women’s Power Gap Initiative shows that tremendous disparities in compensation still exist between men and women – and most notably women of color – at top universities in the United States.
The report, The Power Gap among Top Earners at America’s Elite Universities, highlights that women comprise only one quarter of the 10 highest-paid positions at those institutions, despite the fact that they hold 60% of positions in higher education, earn 60% of master’s degrees and have 54% of Ph.D.s. There are almost no women of color near the tops of those lists.
“Money equates to power,” said lead author Andrea Silbert, President of Eos, which oversees the Women’s Power Gap Initiative. “This is not a pay gap study. This is about who is making the big money at the top, and ultimately, who has the power. It’s highly disturbing that so few women, and almost no women of color, are represented among the highest earners, which of course is where the power lies.”