Examining the Gender Pay Gap for College and University Administrators

A new survey by the College and Universities Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) finds that among higher education administrators, the representation of women steadily increased from 2002 to 2022, from 43 percent to 51 percent. This represents an increase of 20 percent. Positions with the largest increases in the representation of women are typically positions that had very low representation of women in 2002, and many are dean positions. The largest increases in women’s representation are among deans of veterinary medicine, deans of medicine, and deans of law. The largest increases in women’s representation among non-dean positions are among chief research officers and executive vice presidents.

Also notable are the positions where women went from representing the minority of administrators to the majority of administrators, such as chief accounting officers (increased from 42 percent to 66 percent), chief campus planned giving administrators (increased from 38 percent to 59 percent), and chief audit officers (increased from 39 percent to 55 percent).

But during the two-decade span, there was not much progress in pay equity for female administrators. In 2002, women in administrator positions were paid 90 cents for each dollar men in administrator positions were paid. Two decades later, women in administrator positions were paid just 93 cents for each dollar men in administrator positions are.

In some occupations the pay gap is large. For example, women deputy chief HR officers were paid $0.83 per $1.00 paid to male deputy chief HR officers in both 2002 and 2022. In some cases, median pay ratios decreased from 2002 to 2022. Female deans of medicine were paid $1.02 per $1.00 paid to men in 2002 and $0.84 per $1.00 paid to men in 2022. Women in the position of chief athletics administrator were paid $0.94 per $1.00 paid to men in 2002, but in 2022, they were paid $0.80 per $1.00 paid to men.

In 2002, female college and university presidents were paid 92 cents on the dollar to male presidents and saw only a one percentage point increase in the 20 years since.