The Status of Women in the Historical Profession, 2005
Chapter 2: Formal Equality
Salary: Equal Pay for Equal Work
It is well documented that women in academe in general and the field of history in particular are paid less than men with similar or even fewer qualifications in books, articles, and years of service. In our survey, numerous respondents noted discrepancies between their compensation and that of male colleagues, or, notably, female colleagues. One woman, a single head of household, reported she was paid better than her married female counterparts. Some reported that institutional equal-pay initiatives had resulted in higher salaries, but noted that such raises affected only future earnings and did not make up for lost contributions into pension plans. Moreover, even with such initiatives, the benefits do not necessarily last and should continue to be monitored—at least one woman mentioned that her salary had been raised more than once as a result of such initiatives.
These disparities appear to grow larger up the academic ranks. One respondent
noted that she was the lowest paid full professor at her university, pointing
out that men were routinely paid $40,000 to $50,000 more than she. Her story
is not unique. Several women were unaware of the full extent to which they
were undercompensated until they assumed administrative positions that provided
access to confidential salary data. Raises are most often calculated as a
percentage of salary, but they also may reflect successful pursuit of outside
offers,
and perceived worth to the department and university. Our findings show that
each of these factors is highly gendered. It is important to note that relatively
small discrepancies at the time of initial hiring can grow quite large over
the course of a career. Echoing the senior MIT faculty whose job satisfaction
decreased with their years of service, one respondent ruefully noted that, "it
is not, nor was it, hard to be a young woman in the profession. Being older
and successful is a recipe for disaster."
