In this article in Diverse Education, Sara Weissman summarizes a data snapshot analysis by AAUP. The report found that salaries for full-time female faculty members are about 81.2% of their male counterparts’, with women earning $79,368 and men earning $97,738 per year on average.

Why have these disparities persisted?

For one thing, caretaking – childcare and care for other family members – still disproportionately falls to women, noted Dr. Bridget Turner Kelly, associate professor of education and the program director for higher education, student affairs and international education policy at the University of Maryland. These women can be the “breadwinners” for their families, which puts them at a “cumulative disadvantage” as they try to advance from lower-ranking positions and achieve tenure.