Women in top-paying jobs still make less than men

By Annalyn Censky, staff reporter


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Even in the highest paying jobs, women still make less than men, according to a new report by a women's research group.

CEO, pharmacist and lawyer are among the 10 most lucrative job titles for women, according to the study released Tuesday by the Institute for Women's Policy Research. But while women in those positions earned median pay topping $100,000 a year, that was just about 75% of what men with the same job titles earned.

10 top paying jobs for women
Women who held these 10 jobs earned the most money last year -- but their male counterparts made even more.

The median weekly salary for a woman chief executive, for example, was $1,500 last year, compared with $2,000 for a man.

When looking at how much women are paid vs. men in all jobs, the overall wage gap holds at 77 cents to the dollar. But that so-called wage gap doesn't take into account differences in education, tenure and industry -- all factors which determine a worker's pay.

Even when researchers account for those factors, at least half of the gap remains unexplained, said Ariane Hegewisch, who directed the study.

Betty Spence, president of the National Association of Female Executives, an advocacy group representing women executives, says those numbers are alarming.

Still, she says, gender bias may not be entirely responsible for the unaccounted-for part of the gap. Women may work fewer hours than men or may not be as aggressive in negotiating salaries, said Spence.

Among the 10 highest paying jobs, the disparity was widest for women physicians and surgeons, who on average, make 64 cents to the dollar compared to their male counterparts.

Women in technology-related fields, however, fared the best.

"High-tech companies are much more gender-blind," Spence said. That's probably because technology is a newer field and more progressive, she said.

Women computer programmers make 93% of what men in the same position make and on average earn $1,182 per week. To top of page

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