Pharmacists, lawyers, CEOs: A look at the highest paying jobs for women

The most recent available data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that women in full-time positions still make just over 80 cents on the dollar compared to men working full-time.

One of the reasons often cited for the gender wage gap is known as the "glass ceiling," the invisible barrier in the workplace that prevents women from having access to the very high-end positions. Despite claims to the contrary, the glass ceiling in the United States continues to be a reality for millions of women in the workplace.

The result is that while some women are employed in the highest-paid occupations in the country, they tend to have much lower representation and are also paid less for the same work.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 25 occupations with the highest average full-time salaries for women in the United States. In all cases, women earned lower annual average salaries than men, and in 18 of the 25 occupations men accounted for a larger share of total employment than women.

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The occupations on this list, all of which have average annual salaries for women in excess of $60,000, are evidence of the progress that has been made for gender equality in the workplace. Employment and high pay among women in these high-paying occupations has increased, in some cases dramatically.

Ariane Hegewisch, program director of employment and earnings at The Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a nonpartisan policy research group, told 24/7 Wall St. that these high-paying jobs are a positive sign, even if representation and pay gap is still a work in progress. "The level of pay is important – to have more women in higher-paying positions, even if the men make even more – is progress, because it means more women earn higher salaries and can support their families."

25. Compliance officers
• Women's annual earnings: $60,580
• Men's annual earnings: $75,400
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 80.3 percent
• Number of workers: 278,000 (53.6 percent women)

24. Financial analysts
• Women's annual earnings: $62,244
• Men's annual earnings: $83,148
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 74.9 percent
• Number of workers: 261,000 (46.7 percent women)

23. Construction managers
• Women's annual earnings: $62,504
• Men's annual earnings: $76,284
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 81.9 percent
• Number of workers: 625,000 (8.5 percent women)

22. Personal financial advisors
• Women's annual earnings: $62,764
• Men's annual earnings: $85,644
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 73.3 percent
• Number of workers: 414,000 (35.3 percent women)

21. Purchasing managers
• Women's annual earnings: $63,908
• Men's annual earnings: $74,412
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 85.9 percent
• Number of workers: 222,000 (44.6 percent women)

20. Education administrators
• Women's annual earnings: $64,740
• Men's annual earnings: $81,276
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 79.7 percent
• Number of workers: 857,000 (65.7 percent women)

19. Computer systems analysts
• Women's annual earnings: $64,792
• Men's annual earnings: $85,644
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 75.7 percent
• Number of workers: 580,000 (38.3 percent women)

18. Postsecondary teachers
• Women's annual earnings: $65,156
• Men's annual earnings: $83,356
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 78.2 percent
• Number of workers: 994,000 (46.3 percent women)

17. Financial managers
• Women's annual earnings: $65,624
• Men's annual earnings: $92,768
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 70.7 percent
• Number of workers: 1,158,000 (57.3 percent women)

16. Civil engineers
• Women's annual earnings: $66,664
• Men's annual earnings: $80,652
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 82.7 percent
• Number of workers: 410,000 (15.4 percent women)

15. Industrial production managers
• Women's annual earnings: $67,392
• Men's annual earnings: $81,796
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 82.4 percent
• Number of workers: 243,000 (22.6 percent women)

14. Operations research analysts
• Women's annual earnings: $67,548
• Men's annual earnings: $81,432
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 83.0 percent
• Number of workers: 125,000 (46.4 percent women)

13. Architects, except naval
• Women's annual earnings: $67,652
• Men's annual earnings: $79,976
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 84.6 percent
• Number of workers: 170,000 (30.6 percent women)

12. Human resources managers
• Women's annual earnings: $69,160
• Men's annual earnings: $91,572
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 75.5 percent
• Number of workers: 294,000 (75.2 percent women)

11. Medical and health services managers
• Women's annual earnings: $69,212
• Men's annual earnings: $89,908
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 77.0 percent
• Number of workers: 567,000 (73.7 percent women)

10. Marketing and sales managers
• Women's annual earnings: $70,824
• Men's annual earnings: $96,304
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 73.5 percent
• Number of workers: 963,000 (46.4 percent women)

9. Physical therapists
• Women's annual earnings: $72,124
• Men's annual earnings: $73,320
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 98.4 percent
• Number of workers: 209,000 (66.5 percent women)

8. Management analysts
• Women's annual earnings: $74,724
• Men's annual earnings: $85,384
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 87.5 percent
• Number of workers: 635,000 (43.9 percent women)

7. Computer programmers
• Women's annual earnings: $75,140
• Men's annual earnings: $86,424
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 86.9 percent
• Number of workers: 428,000 (21.3 percent women)

6. Software developers, applications and systems software
• Women's annual earnings: $85,488
• Men's annual earnings: $98,488
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 86.8 percent
• Number of workers: 1,611,000 (20.3 percent women)

5. Physicians and surgeons
• Women's annual earnings: $87,204
• Men's annual earnings: $130,676
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 66.7 percent
• Number of workers: 827,000 (42.6 percent women)

4. Computer and information systems managers
• Women's annual earnings: $89,804
• Men's annual earnings: $99,840
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 89.9 percent
• Number of workers: 601,000 (25.5 percent women)

3. Chief executives
• Women's annual earnings: $90,272
• Men's annual earnings: $129,376
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 69.8 percent
• Number of workers: 1,098,000 (28.0 percent women)

2. Lawyers
• Women's annual earnings: $91,624
• Men's annual earnings: $114,504
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 80.0 percent
• Number of workers: 853,000 (40.3 percent women)

1. Pharmacists
• Women's annual earnings: $98,280
• Men's annual earnings: $118,092
• Women's earnings as pct. of men's: 83.2 percent
• Number of workers: 263,000 (62.7 percent women)

Methodology

To identify the highest paying jobs for women, 24/7 Wall St. looked at 150 full-time occupations from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS), a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) program. The best-paying jobs for women listed here are the full-time occupations with the highest average annual salary for women, regardless of the gender pay gap. Total employment and male and female employment also came from the BLS. Average yearly wage estimates were calculated by multiplying average weekly wages by 52. Broad occupational categories that subsumed more precise designations were not considered.

24/7 Wall Street is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.