A study led by Dane Blevins, an associate professor in the department of management of the University of Central Florida, finds that the gender pay gap is disappearing for people who are selected to lead the nation’s most prestigious colleges and universities.
The conclusion is based on 17 years of data from more than 1,100 university presidents working for more than 700 educational institutions in the United States. The results show that on average there is a 9 percent compensation difference between male and female presidents, with women receiving less pay than men on average. But at higher status universities, women presidents are receiving similar levels of total compensation as male presidents – and some are even earning more than male presidents at prestigious universities.
“Our research finds accounting for where the glass ceiling is broken is an important consideration in understanding the gender pay gap,” said Dr. Blevins. “Higher status universities are often viewed as guideposts and their standard of compensation among female presidents may encourage other universities, businesses and organizations of all types, to follow suit and further reduce, if not close, the gender pay gap in the United States.”
The full study, “Gender Differences in Pay Levels: An Examination of the Compensation of University Presidents,” was published on the website of the journal Organization Science. It may be accessed here.