UC’s Gender Trouble

In analyzing the salaries of UC employees, I found that in 2008, out of the top one hundred earners, only 11 were women. This low level of female top earners shows why the university’s claims of being a progressive employer often ring hollow. In fact, if we look at specific job categories in the UC system, we find similar trends. For instance, in the field of medical faculty, only 3 women make it to the top one hundred earners. Likewise, only three females are listed in the top 25 highest paid athletic coaches, even though the UCs are required to have gender equality in athletic teams.

In the case of academic deans, 8 of the top 50 highest earners were female, and this statistic is crucial because deans often make important decisions regarding hiring and compensation. Meanwhile, one of the nine campus chancellors were women in 2008.

If we now look at academic titles, we find that 15 of the top 100 paid law professors were women, while in the case of high earning business school professors, only 8 women were in the top 100. Likewise, only 8 of the top 100 paid non-professional school professors were women in 2008. I find this final statistic to be quite surprising since there are many women now teaching in higher education, and many fields are highly committed to gender equality. While some may say that women have only recently entered into many fields, it still appears that the University of California has a serious gender issue when it comes to pay and promotion.