Sixteen women shatter the glass ceiling as the wage gap in the US widens - Building Gender Balanced Business

Not only were the sixteen select women’s average salaries higher than that of the average male, women who were also CEOs in 2008 enjoyed a 19% raise in 2009 while the men suffered a 5% cut.

“When you see numbers like this, one can truly say that the glass ceiling in corporate America has been shattered.”
Frank Glassner, CEO of Veritas Executive Compensation Consultants LLC

Less optimistic explanations have been advanced:

• Graef Crystal, a pay expert, explained that compensation committees have become wary of underpaying women. They “don’t want to have any trouble”, so they would rather pay women too much than too little.

• Sheila Wellington, a professor at NYU, interpreted the success of the 16 women as a result of the survival of the fittest. She believes that these women are the strongest ones who have succeeded in fighting their way to the top.

The situation of these women is far from typical.

Recent Census statistics show that the wage gap between men and women has actually widened.

Between 2007 and 2008, the gap between the earnings of men and women increased, going from 77.8% to 77%.

In 2008:

• The median earnings of women working full-time and year-round was of $35,745.
• The median earnings of men working full-time and year round was of $46,367.

The situation only gets worse for women of color.

Bloomberg
The Recent Census statistics