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Double-Pane Glass Ceiling: Commercial Engagement and the Female-Male Earnings Gap for Faculty

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  • Joseph Staudt

Abstract

I use administrative data from universities (UMETRICS) linked to the universe of confidential W-2 and 1040-C tax records to measure faculty commercial engagement and its role in female-male earnings gaps. Female faculty are 20 percentage points less likely to engage commercially, with the entire gap driven by self-employment. The raw earnings gap is $63,000 on a base of $162,000 and non-university earnings account for $18,000 (29 percent) of this total. Thus, while university pay explains most of the gap, commercial engagement substantially amplifies it. Earnings gaps appear in all components of non-university pay – self-employment, and work for incumbent, young/startup, high-tech, and non-high-tech firms – and remain large, though attenuated, after controlling publications, patents, field, university, scientific resources, age, marital status, childbearing, and demographics. Gaps widen as faculty move up the earnings distribution, and commercial engagement becomes a larger contributor. Men and women engage with similar industries, but men earn more in all shared industries.

Suggested Citation

  • Joseph Staudt, 2025. "Double-Pane Glass Ceiling: Commercial Engagement and the Female-Male Earnings Gap for Faculty," Working Papers 25-68, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    • Handle: RePEc:cen:wpaper:25-68
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    JEL classification:

    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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