Who gets Market Supplements? Gender Differences within a Large Canadian University

Oct 15, 2026

This study investigates the gender pay gap among Canadian university faculty by analyzing gender differences in “market premiums,” a specific component of salaries. Data were collected in Fall 2002 from faculty at one large Canadian research university. Correspondence analysis contrasts faculty who receive market premiums with those who do not, and shows a strong relationship with gender. Logistic regression links specialization, external research contracts, attitudes toward remuneration, and seniority within rank to market premiums, yet women remain nearly three times less likely after controls.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages37

Reading Time1 h 33 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Résumé

Introduction

CSSHE SCÉES Canadian Journal of Higher Education Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur Volume 38, No. 1, 2008, pages 67-103 [www.ingentaconnect.com/content/csshe/cjhe](www.ingentaconnect.com/content/csshe/cjhe) Who gets Market Supplements? Gender Differences within a Large Canadian University Christine Doucet and Claire Durand Université de Montréal Michael Smith McGill University ABSTRACT This study examines the gender pay gap among university faculty by analyzing gender differences in one component of faculty members’salaries – “market premiums.” The data were collected during the Fall of 2002 using a survey of faculty at a single Canadian research university. Correspondence analysis and logistic regression analysis were performed in order to identify the characteristics related to the award of market premiums and whether these characteristics account for gender differences. The correspondence analysis produces a two-factor solution in which the second axis clearly opposes faculty who receive market premiums to those who do not. Gender is strongly related to this factor, with the female category on the side of the axis associated with the absence of market premiums. The results of the logistic regression conﬁrm that ﬁeld of specialization, frequency of external research contracts, faculty members’ values and attitudes towards remuneration and seniority within rank are all related to the award of market premiums, as hypothesized. However, women were still almost three times less likely than men to have been awarded market premiums after controlling for these relationships. Overall, the results suggest that within a collective bargaining context, reindividualization of the pay determination process — notably, the payment of market premiums to faculty — may reopen pay differences by gender. 68 CJHE / RCES Volume 38, No. 1, 2008 RÉSUMÉ Cette recherche examine les écarts salariaux selon le genre chez les professeurs d’université en procédant à l’analyse des écarts selon le genre sur une composante spéciﬁque du salaire des professeurs, soit les primes dites “de marché”. Les données proviennent d’unsondage effectué en 2002 auprès des professeurs d’une grande université canadienne. L’analyse des correspondances de même que la régression logistique sont utilisées dans le but d’identiﬁer les caractéristiques liées à la présencede primes de marché et d’examiner si ces caractéristiques peuvent expliquer les différences selon le genre. L’analyse des correspondances donne une solution à deux facteurs dans laquelle le second facteur oppose clairement les professeurs qui ont reçu une prime à ceux quin’en n’ont pas reçue. Le genre est fortement associé à ce facteur, la catégorie “femme” se retrouvant du côté de l’axe associé à l’absence de primes de marché . Les résultats de la régression logistique conﬁrment que le secteur d’activité, la fréquence des contrats de recherche, lavalorisation du salaire ainsi que le rang combiné à l’ancienneté sontreliés à la présence de primes de marché, tel que suggéré par les hypothèses. Toutefois, même après avoir contrôlé pour ces relations, les femmes sont toujours près de trois fois moins susceptibles d’avoirobtenu des primes de marché que leurs homologues masculins. Dans l’ensemble, les résultats suggèrent que dans un contexte où les salaires sont déterminés par convention collective, la réindividualisation du processus de détermination des salaires, en particulier par le versement de primes de marché aux professeurs d’université, peut favoriser laréapparition d’écarts de salaire selon le genre. INTRODUCTION On average, women faculty members in Canadian universities have been paid less than their male colleagues. Using Statistics Canada’s Survey of fulltime university faculty in Canada, Ornstein, Stewart, and Drakich (1998) found a 16.8% gender pay gap in 1994. There had been little change by 2002-2003: also using Statistics Canada data, Sussman and Yssaad (2005) reported a gap

FAQs

What does the study examine about faculty salaries?

It examines gender differences in one salary component: “market premiums” for university faculty.

How were market premiums and related factors analyzed?

The study used correspondence analysis and logistic regression based on a 2002 survey of faculty at a single Canadian research university.

Do women and men receive market premiums at the same rates after controls?

No. Even after controlling for related factors, women were still nearly three times less likely than men to receive market premiums.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Blue Pony