A new study finds that a racial salary gap persists at the University of California, Berkeley. The study found that faculty members from underrepresented minority groups on average earn 1.8 percent less than White faculty members and 1.8 percent less than White faculty members when the data is controlled by faculty rank. While the percentage differences are small, the report states that “the average salary difference between White men and minority faculty members is equivalent to about 1 to 2 years of career experience.” The report recommends that to eliminate the racial gap, salary increases beyond normal raises for promotion in faculty rank be made.
Claude M. Steele, executive vice chancellor and provost at the University of California, Berkeley and co-chair of the committee that produced the salary report, stated that “from the standpoint of fairness in the workplace, the most important thing is to keep an eye on the existence and size of these differences, and to do everything we can to reduce them.”
Dr. Steele is a graduate of Hiram College in Ohio and holds a Ph.D. from Ohio State University. He is the author of several books including Whistling Vivaldi: And Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do (W.W. Norton, 2010).
The Report on the UC Berkeley Faculty Salary Equity Study may be downloaded by clicking here.
