Men Earn Average of $68,300 Versus $44,400 For Women Because Highest-Paying Jobs Dominated by Men

Rosemary Haefner of Careerbuilder

For years there’s been a lot of controversy about why men tend to make far more money than women. I’ve seen a number of studies showing that the average woman makes about 75 percent of what the average man makes. Some believe that the problem — if it even is a problem — is due to women tending to choose occupational fields which pay less than the occupational fields which tend to be chosen by men. One counter argument to that is that many occupations require similar educational backgrounds, supply and demand for the labor, skill requirements, riskiness, and other such attributes and yet the occupations dominated by women are still paid less. An example I’ve often heard to illustrate this point is that skilled production line workers tend to make more than school teachers.

Whether one agrees that similar jobs should pay similarly or whether the market will somehow sort out who should be paid more, the data is clear that men tend to earn far more than women. A new study from CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) underscores the continued wage gap in the U.S. On average, men earn $68,300 annually compared to $44,400 for women, and there continues to be a lower percentage of women in the nation’s highest-paying occupations. The study also shows that while women continue to lag men in leadership roles, trends are pointing in a positive direction with women being more equally represented or surpassing men in various high-skill, specialized positions.

“While employers have made strides in equalizing compensation for both genders, historical gaps are still present in some organizations today,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder. “Also contributing to the disparity in income levels is a higher representation of men working in more lucrative occupations. Fortunately, we’re starting to see that balance out as women account for a larger percentage of the overall workforce and pursue employment in high-paying areas such as information technology, engineering, healthcare, sales, etc.”

Percentages of Men and Women in Best Paid Occupations

From a leadership perspective, the vast majority – 83 percent – of CEOs today are men. In a separate CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive study*, male workers were more likely to report pursuing loftier titles. Twenty-eight percent of men said they aspire to be in a C-level position (CEO, CFO, CMO, etc) at some point in their career compared to 16 percent of women.

Looking at occupations with the highest average compensation rate, women dominated in only four of the top 15 positions according to the CareerBuilder and EMSI study:

1. Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon – $194,085 – 43% men, 57% women
2. Orthodontist – $191,776 – 43% men, 57% women
3. Physician & Surgeon – $187,533 – 55% men, 45% women
4. Dentist, General – $148,096 – 51% men, 49% women
5. Petroleum Engineer – $122,242 – 97% men, 3% women
6. Engineering Manager – $121,888 – 97% men, 3% women
7. Computer & Information Systems Manager – $116,785 – 77% men, 23% women
8. Natural Sciences Manager – $114,744 – 72% men, 28% women
9. Prosthodontist – $114,462 – 38% men, 62% women
10. Air Traffic Controller – $113,547 – 90% men, 10% women
11. Pharmacist – $113,090 – 34% men, 66% women
12. Marketing Manager – $112,424 – 65% men, 35% women
13. Airline Pilot, Copilot & Flight Engineer – $105,518 – 97% men, 3% women
14. Lawyer – $104,395 – 67% men, 33% women
15. General & Operations Manager – $94,744 – 79% men, 21% women

Occupations Where Women Dominate

1. Registered Nurse – 4% men, 96% women
2. Education Administrator, Elementary & Secondary – 17% men, 83% women
3. Psychiatrist – 38% men, 62% women
4. Anesthesiologist – 43% men, 57% women
5. Pediatrician – 42% men, 58% women
6. Interpreter & Translator – 30% men, 70% women
7. Probation Officer & Correctional Treatment Specialist – 34% men, 66% women
8. Claims Adjuster, Examiner & Investigator – 38% men, 62% women
9. Industrial-Organizational Psychologist – 30% men, 70% women
10. Public Relations Specialist – 36% men, 64% women
11. Curator – 33% men, 67% women
12. Graphic Designer – 40% men, 60% women
13. Editor – 36% men, 64% women
14. Mathematical Technician – 46% men, 54% women
15. Bartender – 41% men, 59% women

Occupations Where Genders Are More Equally Represented

1. Political Scientist – 50% men, 50% women
2. Advertising and Promotions Manager – 50% men, 50% women
3. School Bus Driver – 50% men, 50% women
4. Arbitrator, Mediator & Conciliator – 51% men, 49% women
5. Sociologist – 51% men, 49% women
6. Computer Operator – 52% men, 48% women
7. Baker – 48% men, 52% women
8. Medical Scientist – 48% men, 52% women
9. Accountant and Auditor – 47% men, 53% women
10. Statistician – 53% men, 47% women
11. Retail Salesperson – 47% men, 53% women
12. Optometrist – 47% men, 53% women
13. Art Director – 47% men, 53% women
14. Postsecondary Teacher – 53% men, 47% women
15. Training & Development Manager – 53% men, 47% women

*CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive survey of 1,746 men and 1,475 women employed full-time, completed in March 2013.