We constantly find new research about the ways in which women are paid and promoted across sectors. Industries, often pushed by individuals and special interest groups, are slowly waking up to the need for data and transparent disclosures regarding their business practices with regard to gender equity in workplaces. Today, we examine three recent reports: an analysis of census data by the AAUW discussing the pay gap, Columbia University’s two-year study on women and faculty of color, and PwC’s Women in Leadership 2017 report (which was released this week). The findings are not altogether sunny so in the interest of all of our mental note, we’ll end with some good news.

The Ugly

The gender pay gap is here to stay. According to the American Association of University Women (AAUW), the gender wage gap will be around for at least another 136 years if current trends continue. In 2015, the pay gap between (white) men and (white) women was 80 cents; and this difference was not statistically significantly different from the previous year’s gap of 79 cents. Importantly, while the wage gap exists across all demographics, industries, and age levels, it widens (and continues to grow) for women of color. As the report notes, it took indigenous women 21 months to match the wages made by men in 2015. The AAUW also notes what this gap means for women and children who live in poverty or will live in poverty. Specifically, because of the realities of women who both work and give care, “closing the pay gap would cut the poverty rate for working women in half and would lift 2.5 million children out of poverty.”

The Bad

Columbia University has concluded a two-year study of women and people of color in its Arts and Sciences Faculty. The report, totaling 145 pages, highlights three consistent findings: “a lack of diversity in the senior leadership of academic departments and centers; insufficient transparency about how important decisions are made; and unclear policies and decision-making processes”. Additionally, both women and people of color tend to have heavier workloads and lower salaries and continue to face harassment and discrimination in their workplaces. In response, the university acknowledged the need for both immediate and “tangible” action steps as well as broader and longer-term “cultural shifts that will take some time to implement”. In the immediate future, Columbia will correct salary imbalances and then begin to reconsider the ways in which the ‘invisible’ labor such as advising and other services factor into annual merit reviews. If these things play a greater role in the university’s assessment of faculty value, women and people of color are more likely to be able to move toward equal pay. Unfortunately, the implicit and explicit practices which have led to systematic inequities at Columbia are not uncommon and can be endemic to K12 schools as well. If you want to think more about how to promote diversity, wage equity, and sustainability in your school or university, contact us. We have some tools that can be useful to you.

The Good (or at least hopeful)

According to the Forum of Executive Women and PwC, who partnered on a report entitled Women in Leadership 2017, there is some good news. This report “provides an assessment of the gender composition of the [Philadelphia] region’s top 100 revenue-producing companies” using SEC findings and publicly available data. The (mostly) good news is that female representation in boardrooms has increased over the time period spanning 2010-2017 and the raw number of women filling board seats has increased. However, as a percentage of all available open board seats, fewer women were appointed or hired to those positions, indicating missed opportunities to increase diversity at the top level of powerful companies. However, this year’s version of the report also breaks out boardroom info by industry and the study shows two positive directions: a) the communication, construction, and utilities industry has the highest numbers of women who are directors, executives, and top earners and b) while “the ranks of women are thin at the level of Chief Executive Officer”, more women are in C-Suites than ever before.

-Lauren