It’s no secret that, as a demographic, female faculty, staff and administrators at colleges and universities across the nation have long been financially compensated at a much lower level than their male counterparts have.
Moreover, while this remains ostensibly the case, new evidence also seems to suggest that, at least in certain areas of higher education — most notably in administration — some colleges and universities have been taking bold and aggressive steps to both hire and retain women by offering them impressive salaries that are commensurate with those of their male colleagues.
This trend may ultimately signal a shift in long-overdue pay ranges for thousands of women at colleges and universities across the nation, but it’s also important to note that the overall gender pay gap — particularly in higher education administrative positions — is “not narrowing,” says Dr. Jacqueline Bichsel, director of research for the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR).
According to Bichsel, who authored a study titled “The Gender Pay Gap and the Representation of Women in Higher Education Administrative Positions: The Century So Far,” the gender gap in higher education has been consistent for the past 15 years.
“Women are equitably represented in administrative positions as a whole,” says Bichsel, who presented her findings at CUPA-HR’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C. last year. “However, there are fewer women in higher-paying leadership positions.”
In positions where women are drastically underrepresented, Bichsel says the data also indicates that women are typically paid more than their male counterparts, which may indicate efforts to attract and retain these women in these positions.
Challenges outside of the academy
