Inside Higher Ed presents an article on recent research into the persistent gender pay gap in higher education faculty. The story describes a study by Laura Meyers, a doctoral candidate at our own University of Washington. Some highlights from the article:
The gender gap in faculty pay cannot be explained completely by the long careers of male faculty members, the relative productivity of faculty members, or where male and female faculty members tend to work — even if those and other factors are part of the picture…
Of all the faculty members in the [2004 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty] survey, women earn an average full-time salary of $56,100, more than 18 percent less than the male average of $68,900.
…some activities that both men and women perform seem to have different results. For instance, men who spend significant time on professional service activities that are not based at their institution (say, working with a disciplinary group) do not see any negative impact on their salaries. Women, however, see a consistent, negative impact on their salaries from similar contributions to their professions.