Gender Differences in the Salaries and Salary Growth Rates of University Faculty: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

This study uses individual growth modeling to examine gender differences in salaries and salary growth rates between 1985 and 1995 for a sample of 306 faculty members at a research university. We analyze gender differences in estimated annual salary in 1985, the start of the ten-year period of study, as well as differences in the rate of salary growth during subsequent years. Individual growth modeling is particularly well suited to an analysis of salary changes over time, since it has the advantage of making use of all available data points rather than only two, as is the case with traditional change models. Findings show that a sizable gap between men's and women's estimated 1985 salaries remains after controlling for relevant factors. However, women show higher rates of salary growth during the ten-year period. Faculty with the highest growth rates are those most likely to leave the university, and, as a result, the salary growth rates for women and men are virtually identical by the end of the ten-year period.