Evidence of Bias
NOTE: We revised our approach to identifying evidence of bias for the analysis of this year’s survey responses. There are many factors that influence a person’s salary, and last year’s analysis did not include that depth. This year, we identified several cohorts of respondents, defined by factors such as longevity in the field, educational attainment, and age; and then looked at their perceptions of bias and the reality of their salaries. Admittedly, this is an incomplete look at the evidence of bias that might emerge in the survey responses, but it is a way to begin the discussion, and to set the stage for further analysis.
Perception of gender bias by gender, US Master’s degree with 5+ years in the field
| Female | 24.5% |
18.8% |
56.7% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 0.5% |
2.2% |
97.3% |
| Yes | Maybe | No |
Within the cohort, 24.5% of women perceive that gender bias has hurt them professionally.
Gender distribution by salary range, US Master’s degree with 5+ years in the field
| Less than $10,000 | 26.7% |
73.3% |
|---|---|---|
| $10,000-$19,999 | 45.0% |
55.0% |
| $20,000-$39,999 | 43.4% |
56.6% |
| $40,000-$59,999 | 44.0% |
56.0% |
| $60,000-$79,999 | 35.1% |
64.9% |
| $80,000-$99,999 | 30.2% |
69.8% |
| $100,000-$119,999 | 26.1% |
73.9% |
| $120,000-$149,999 | 21.3% |
78.8% |
| More than $150,000 | 23.7% |
76.3% |
| Overall | 34.2% |
65.8% |
| Female | Male |
Within the cohort, 41.0% of women make less than $60,000 compared to 28.7% of men. Further, 15.6% of women in the cohort make over $100,000 compared to 25.4% of men.
Perception of ethnic bias by ethnicity, US Master’s degree with 5+ years in the field
| Asian / Pacific Rim | Black / African | Hispanic / Latino | Indigenous / Native | Other | White / Caucasian | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Definitely yes | 0.0% | 0.0% | 3.6% | 33.3% | 1.7% | 3.4% | 3.2% |
| Cautiously yes | 7.4% | 17.9% | 7.1% | 0.0% | 3.4% | 5.3% | 5.6% |
| Maybe | 3.7% | 7.1% | 3.6% | 0.0% | 10.3% | 8.0% | 7.8% |
| Probably not | 33.3% | 32.1% | 42.9% | 33.3% | 29.3% | 26.1% | 27.1% |
| Definitely not | 55.6% | 42.9% | 42.9% | 33.3% | 55.2% | 57.2% | 56.4% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
Within this cohort, 17.9% of Black/African and 10.7% of Hispanics perceive that ethnic bias has hurt them professionally.
Ethnic distribution by salary range, US Master’s degree with 5+ years in the field
| Asian / Pacific Rim | Black / African | Hispanic / Latino | Indigenous / Native | Other | White / Caucasian | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than $10,000 | 0.0% | 3.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2.7% | 2.4% |
| $10,000-$19,999 | 0.0% | 7.1% | 6.9% | 0.0% | 1.7% | 1.4% | 1.6% |
| $20,000-$39,999 | 1.9% | 7.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6.7% | 6.1% |
| $40,000-$59,999 | 17.0% | 28.6% | 31.0% | 33.3% | 31.0% | 22.2% | 22.7% |
| $60,000-$79,999 | 26.4% | 28.6% | 34.5% | 33.3% | 24.1% | 25.1% | 25.5% |
| $80,000-$99,999 | 28.3% | 14.3% | 17.2% | 33.3% | 15.5% | 19.3% | 19.4% |
| $100,000-$119,999 | 15.1% | 10.7% | 6.9% | 0.0% | 13.8% | 10.8% | 11.0% |
| $120,000-$149,999 | 5.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 6.9% | 6.9% | 6.5% |
| More than $150,000 | 5.7% | 0.0% | 3.4% | 0.0% | 5.2% | 4.9% | 4.8% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
Within the cohort, 46.4% of Black/African and 37.9% of Hispanics make under $60,000 as opposed to 32.9% of the full cohort. Further, 10.7% of Black/African and 10.3% of Hispanics in the cohort make over $100,000, compared to 22.3% of the full cohort.
Perception of gender bias by gender, US college diploma age 19-29
| Female | 17.7% |
18.1% |
64.2% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 0.5% |
1.2% |
98.3% |
| Yes | Maybe | No |
Within the cohort, 17.7% of women perceive that gender bias has hurt them professionally.
Gender distribution by salary range, US college diploma age 19-29
| Less than $10,000 | 22.9% |
77.1% |
|---|---|---|
| $10,000-$19,999 | 19.1% |
80.9% |
| $20,000-$39,999 | 25.4% |
74.6% |
| $40,000-$59,999 | 19.5% |
80.5% |
| $60,000-$79,999 | 12.8% |
87.2% |
| $80,000-$99,999 | 8.2% |
91.8% |
| $100,000-$119,999 | 8.4% |
91.6% |
| $120,000-$149,999 | 2.3% |
97.7% |
| More than $150,000 | 0.0% |
100.0% |
| Overall | 18.6% |
81.4% |
| Female | Male |
Within the cohort, 45.0% of women make less than $40,000 compared to 32.5% of men. Further, 4.1% of women in the cohort make over $80,000 compared to 12.0% of men.
Perception of ethnic bias by ethnicity, US college diploma age 19-29
| Asian / Pacific Rim | Black / African | Hispanic / Latino | Indigenous / Native | Other | White / Caucasian | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Definitely yes | 0.8% | 1.6% | 0.8% | 12.5% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 1.0% |
| Cautiously yes | 3.7% | 4.7% | 0.8% | 0.0% | 4.2% | 2.7% | 2.7% |
| Maybe | 5.7% | 6.3% | 5.3% | 0.0% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Probably not | 27.5% | 23.4% | 21.2% | 12.5% | 32.2% | 20.6% | 21.4% |
| Definitely not | 62.3% | 64.1% | 72.0% | 75.0% | 58.5% | 71.5% | 70.5% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
The percentages within this cohort that perceive that ethnic bias has hurt them professionally are relatively small.
Ethnic distribution by salary range, US college diploma age 19-29
| Asian / Pacific Rim | Black / African | Hispanic / Latino | Indigenous / Native | Other | White / Caucasian | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than $10,000 | 7.82% | 11.29% | 6.82% | 12.50% | 9.92% | 5.36% | 5.78% |
| $10,000-$19,999 | 3.70% | 3.23% | 6.06% | 0.00% | 7.44% | 4.68% | 4.72% |
| $20,000-$39,999 | 18.11% | 22.58% | 22.73% | 25.00% | 24.79% | 24.74% | 24.27% |
| $40,000-$59,999 | 36.21% | 41.94% | 42.42% | 37.50% | 25.62% | 37.51% | 37.31% |
| $60,000-$79,999 | 23.87% | 9.68% | 14.39% | 25.00% | 19.01% | 17.12% | 17.38% |
| $80,000-$99,999 | 7.00% | 8.06% | 4.55% | 0.00% | 6.61% | 6.67% | 6.63% |
| $100,000-$119,999 | 2.06% | 1.61% | 0.76% | 0.00% | 4.96% | 2.26% | 2.26% |
| $120,000-$149,999 | 1.23% | 0.00% | 2.27% | 0.00% | 0.83% | 0.98% | 1.01% |
| More than $150,000 | 0.00% | 1.61% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.83% | 0.68% | 0.64% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
There are only modest differences in salary for the ethnic groups in this cohort. A slightly lower percentage of Asians in the cohort make under $40,000. Blacks have a slightly higher percentage of those making under $40,000 but also a slightly higher percentage of those making over $80,000 than the full cohort. Hispanics have a significantly lower percentage of those making over $80,000 than the full cohort.