Women in the Leadership Pipeline in Higher Education Have Better Representation and Pay in Institutions with Female Presidents and Provosts

Past research in the private sector has demonstrated that corporations with female executives pay their female administrators more equitably. This report presents evidence from CUPA-HR survey data that similar patterns occur in higher education. Institutions with female presidents have a higher representation of women in administrator positions and pay women in administrator positions more equitably. In addition, institutions with female provosts have a higher representation of women among deans and tenure-track faculty. In sum, higher ed institutions with female executives have better representation of women throughout their institutions in positions that: (a) are paid higher salaries and (b) serve as key points in the executive leadership pipeline.