NSF Report on the Salaries of Ph.D's Reveals Gender Gaps in All
Categories (Abstract) Author(s): Edward Silverman This article
is the first part of a series on the National Science
Foundation's (NSF) biennial Ph.D. survey, which discusses the
results of an NSF survey that reveals the disparity between the
salaries paid to male and female scientists. It reviews the
cause of the problem as well as potential solutions. In 1989,
the NSF surveyed 73,611 Ph.D. scientists (response rate was 55%)
with varying levels of experience. The survey showed that female
Ph.D. researchers earned less than their male colleagues in
industry, government, colleges, and universities. The median
annual salary paid to women Ph.D. scientists was between 20% and
25.2% less than that paid to men. Other studies have shown that
this salary gap persists throughout the career of the scientist.
In fact, a study by the Commission on Professionals in Science
and Technology found that pay for male scientists continues to
rise until age 65, while