Female CEOs who break through the glass ceiling still face a persistent form of gender bias -- one that's apparent when you look at what top female CEOs earn. Although the average woman earns 78 cents on every dollar a man earns, the average female CEO earns only 33 cents on every dollar a male CEO makes. On average, women earned $3.8 million while men earned $11.9 million.
In announcing America's top-paid female CEOs in September 2009, Forbes magazine noted the discrepancy in pay and compensation between men and women, even in the same field:
[E]xecutive women still struggle for respect. Lynn Elsenhans, the only woman running a big oil company, was paid $2.2 million last year by $37 billion refiner Sunoco. Bruce Smith, head of refining concern Tesoro, which had sales of $20 billion in 2008, took home $18.6 million.In determining a CEO's compensation, several factors -- such as a CEO's length of time with the company -- influence decision-making. And compensation typically reflects much more than just a CEO's salary. Additional perks include bonuses, stock options, and executive personal benefits; these may take the form of medical exams, tax preparation, club memberships, and use of corporate vehicles (e.g. the oft-maligned company jet.)
Below is a table listing the top paid female CEOs as determined by Forbes. Compare this with the list of the top female CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and you'll see that a CEO's earnings are not necessarily tied to her company's ranking.
Source:
Brown, Heidi and Scott DeCarlo. "America's Top-Paid Female CEOs." Forbes.com. 23 September 2009.
"By The Numbers: What Women CEOs Are Earning." Forbes.com. 23 September 2009.
What Top Female CEOs Earn
| Name | Company | Tenure as CEO | Compensation in Millions |
| Andrea Jung | Avon Products | 10 years | $11.8 |
| Carol Meyrowitz | TJX | 3 years | $11.1 |
| Indra Nooyi | PepsiCo | 3 years | $9.4 |
| Susan Ivey | Reynolds American | 5 years | $9.4 |
| Tamara Lundgren | Schnitzer Steel Industries | 10 months | $6.6 |
| Irene Rosenfeld | Kraft | 3 years | $5.7 |
| Kay Krill | Ann Taylor Stores | 4 years | $5.3 |
| Brenda Barnes | Sarah Lee | 5 years | $4.6 |
| Patricia Woertz | Archer Daniels Midland | 3 years | $4.5 |
| Angela Braly | WellPoint | 2 years | $4.1 |
