Gender Analysis of Research Analysis Position at NIAR

By Elizabeth Clarkson, Ph.D.

I was unhappy with my salary

• Over the past 3 decades of working in a male dominated industry, I have found that when I compare my salary to survey data about my profession I am inevitably on the low side until I get to the breakdown by gender.

• I recently discovered just how underpaid I was –the 3rd percentile!

• I requested and received data regarding NIAR employees in my job classification.

• I wanted to find out how my salary compared with other men and women at NIAR.

IT Su

pport Asst

Man

ager

Researc

h Scholar

Researc

h Associa

te

Tech

nical C

oordinato

r

Inform Te

chnology

Support

Tech

Researc

h Tech

nician

Assista

nt Lab

Man

ager

Researc

h Assoc-C

AD/CAM In

str

Researc

h Engin

eer

Researc

h Analyst

Manag

er

Laborat

ory Man

ager

Senior R

esearc

h Engin

eer

Researc

h Engr/

NDT Instr

Researc

h Scien

tist

Sr Rese

arch En

gr & M

anag

er

Communication Coord

inator

Grand Ave

rage

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$20,000

$40,000

$60,000

$80,000

$100,000

$120,000

NIAR Employees classified as RESEARCH ANALYST Average Base Pay by Job Title and Gender

MaleFemale

Women receive lower base pay in every category that has both male and female employees.An ANOVA analysis conducted on average salary over NIAR employment yields a p-value of 0.0993

Average Salary was computed using all NIAR employees in that job category from 2008 to 2012.Base Salary was divided by FTE - Full Time Equivalent - to arrive at acomparable base salary for part time employees and eliminate noise due to overload paid.

Research Associate 21FY 67MY

Research Technician 6FY 10MY

Research Engineer 4FY 49MY

Research Analyst 26FY 167MY

Manager 3FY 5MY Research Scientist 6FY 11MY

Female 42502.1728571729 47360 44000 60059.5 64533.3333333333 76450

Male 43900.9456716418 50276.4 62822.7959183673 63217.7125748503 65698.6 99624.1818181818

$10,000

$30,000

$50,000

$70,000

$90,000

$110,000

NIAR Employees classified as RESEARCH ANALYST Average Base Pay by Job Title and Gender

FemaleMale

Women receive lower base pay in every category that has both male and female employees.A one-sided paired t-test on the 6 job categories that have employed both genders yields a p-value of 0.045

Average Salary was computed using all NIAR employees in that job category from 2008 to 2012.Base Salary was divided by FTE - Full Time Equivalent - to arrive at acomparable base salary for part time employees and eliminate noise due to overload paid. FY = Female Years, MY = Male Years

Research Associate 5F 25M Research Analyst 8F 45M

Female 43531.5 57578.9589285714

Male 44359.6736 60273.1403174603

$5,000

$15,000

$25,000

$35,000

$45,000

$55,000

$65,000

NIAR Employees classified as RESEARCH ANALYST Average Base Pay by Job Title and Gender

limited to Job titles with multiple female employees

FemaleMale

Testing each job title separately, there are no statistically significant differences in salary between gender.

Average are of Base Salary divided by FTE based on individuals during their tenure at NIAR without weighting for number of years.

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Age and Base Salary FTE adjusted

Research Associate

Research Analyst

There I Am Now

Males

Female

Average Age during NIAR Employment

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The Graph Gives me HOPE!

• I know, to the casual observer that graph might appear to be supportive of gender discrimination in pay. It’s not.

• The t-test is the best measure of that and it indicates the small difference between genders on average within a job classification is not statistically significant.

• Few older women are in the Research Analyst position. • Look at the distribution for women in the under 40 age

group!

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Age and Base Salary FTE adjusted

FemaleLinear (Female)MalesLinear (Males)Research As-sociateResearch Ana-lystThere I Am Now

Average Age during NIAR Employment

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I see evidence of change! • I see two young women in the

upper range of their age group• Look at them! No doubt they

hold advanced degrees already. • I earned my Bachelors at 23, my

Master’s at 31 and my Ph.D. at 51.

• Combining family and career starting back in the 80’s has meant a slower approach to both for me.

• My pay reflects the choices I’ve made and the ambient culture of my generation.

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Base Salary FTE adjusted

Female Males Research Associate

Research Analyst There I Am Now

Average Age during NIAR Employment

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Let me explain• The females over 40 earn less than

their male counterparts. • This is a likely result of the pervasive

discrimination older women faced in our early careers and sacrifices made for the sake of our families.

• The lack of discrimination in pay for younger women indicates that they are not experiencing gender discrimination in pay.

THINGS ARE BETTER NOW! 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70

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Base Salary FTE adjusted

Female Males Research Associate

Research Analyst There I Am Now

Average Age during NIAR Employment

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