Gender Bias and Compensation in the Executive Suite of the Fortune 100 (Report‪)‬

ABSTRACT The current study examines two gender-related phenomena, the existence of a glass ceiling and the magnitude of a gender pay gap, with respect to the upper echelons of management in the Fortune 100 companies. The results show that the glass ceiling is far from being shattered in the executive suite of the nation's largest companies as women currently hold only 5.8 percent of the top positions. However, the glass ceiling is showing signs of weakness as this represents twice the rate from just a few years ago. For women having reached the top levels of management, no gender pay gap exists as females overall are paid virtually the same as their male counterparts. These findings suggest that, when appointing and rewarding key executives, many corporate boards rightfully recognize that employee value and ability trump gender. Perhaps this gender-neutral tone at the top will serve as a beacon for the elimination of gender bias at all levels of employment.