Breaking the glass ceiling

Women now account for 35% of workers in the 10 highest-paying occupations in the US up from 13% in 1980. But they remain a minority in 9 out of 10 of highest-paying occupations, with the only exception being pharmacists where 61% of workers are women. Nonetheless, the share of women in high paying occupations is set to continue because a high percentage of graduates in relevant educational fields are women. For instance, 60% to 70% of Doctor of Pharmacy degree recipients have been women since the 1990s which correlates with the number of women in the occupation. In other advanced educational degrees like Juris Doctor (lawyer), Doctor of Medicine (physician) and Doctor of Dental Medicine, women now account for about 50% of recipients and their representation in the workforce is likely to follow.

Source: Pew Research Center (November 2023). Note: highest-paying occupations are determined based on median earnings. Data for CEOs was not available for 1980.