New Report Shows the Persisting Gender Gap in Faculty Pay at Colleges and Universities

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) recently released its Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession, 2017-18. The report contains data on salaries, benefits, pensions, medical benefits, tuition aid, and tenure status.

Much of the data in the report is broken down by gender. The report finds that women make up 44.8 percent of all faculty at the 1,018 colleges and universities that responded to the AAUP survey. Of all faculty members in higher education, 12.3 percent are women full professors and 21.7 percent are male full professors.

The average salary for women full professors in the 2017-18 academic year is $100,917. For male full professors, the average salary is $106,820. The gender pay exists at all academic ranks but is smaller at the associate and assistant professor and instructor and lecturer ranks.

One of the most important statistics in the report is that at 93 percent of all reporting institutions, men are paid more than women for at least one academic rank. The authors note that the survey “does not collect information on length of service or discipline.” However they conclude that “the data clearly show that more work is needed to end the pay gap in higher education. No change in gender equity is visible as faculty advance through the professional ranks, indicating that equity is not likely to be achieved in the near future.”