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
Examples of occupations that employ a higher percentage of women include:
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
Source: CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive survey of 1,746 men and 1,475 women employed full-time, completed in March 2013.
John Agno: When Doing It All Won't Do: A Self-Coaching Guide for Career Women (ebook editions)