Next to No Salary Equality for Women in Tech

Women in tech jobs all over the U.S. continue to earn less than their male counterparts, with Utah representing the state with the highest salary differential at $16,871. Minnesota is the only state with women earning more than men, representing a $3,929 differential, according to Dice, the employment website.

In the just released report – The Gender Pay Gap in Tech – survey results find that women in tech are still paid less in 2020 in all eight regions across the country. Looking at the salary differential by region: New England –$6,444; Mid-Eastern – $7,074; Southeast – $6,471; Great Lakes – $8,653; Plains – $3,309; Southwest – $4,086; Rocky Mountains – $9,720; and Far West – $4,667.

The salary pay gaps exist between men and women, even when factors such as experience, roles, location and education, are controlled for. The research was conducted by Cypress Research Group.

Dice’s Michelle Marian

“The technology field continues to struggle to offer equal pay and applicable benefits to women. When employers work to build a fairly compensated gender-diverse workplace, they inevitably create a more positive work culture with a wider range of ideas and creative solutions to address business needs and challenges,” said Michelle Marian, CMO for DHI Group, Dice’s parent company. “In publishing our report, Dice aims to foster important conversations to aid in eliminating compensation and benefit inequity across tech occupations.”

Four other areas that the report delves into are the pay gap by occupation, how satisfaction levels differ between men and women, how men and women value different things in employers, and the way the tech industry struggles to eliminate bias.

Looking at the gender pay gap by occupation, while controlling for years of experience, education level and location, reveals an even wider pay disparity. Here’s what some of the pay differential data shows: data architect –$13,123; database administrator – $11,053; software engineer – $8,559; security engineer – $6,847; business analyst – $6,455; and product manager – $4,709.

Women-in-tech occupations such as systems architect, network engineer and technical writer fare the best — +$2,446, +$,4,836, and +$6,443, respectively.

So why should women in tech be satisfied? They’re not expressing greater dissatisfaction than their male colleagues.

Looking at compensation, 38% of women are dissatisfied with their compensation, compared to 33% of men. The average salary for a woman satisfied with her compensation is $93,591, while the average salary for a woman dissatisfied with her compensation is $69,543. Compare that to men: Average salary for a man satisfied with his compensation is $108,711, while the average salary reported for compensation dissatisfaction is $81,829.

“This could suggest that men expect to be paid more (hence the relatively high salary number for dissatisfaction), which can have an impact on whether they accept offers and negotiate for raises,” the report states.

Women also report being less satisfied with their team and managers compared to men.

Both men and women report feeling burned out or very burned out at their jobs — 31% and 33% respectively. However, women are more likely to attribute burnout to friction with a boss or team, as well as to lack of recognition for their work.

Both men and women put a high value on health insurance, dental insurance paid vacation days and 401(k) matching/pension. Women, however, are more concerned about paid volunteer opportunities, college tuition reimbursement, maternity leave, remote and flex options, and wellness programs compared to men.