Men in HR still command higher pay, titles than women colleagues

HR professionals are often at the forefront of corporate efforts to narrow the gender pay gap. New survey data suggests these HR pros may also be intimately familiar with pay inequities, as they’re likely to see them in their own careers.

Despite the fact that women represent more than two-thirds of US adults employed in the HR profession, men in the industry are more likely to command higher titles and salaries, according to a recent poll conducted by the Harris Poll in partnership with HR Brew.

This adds to similar findings from a separate poll of HR professionals that Qualtrics conducted for HR Brew last year. Gender and racial pay gaps in the profession may, in turn, be affecting morale, as employees with lower titles and compensation are less likely to see room for career advancement at their organizations.

Women and non-white HR pros lag behind counterparts in pay, advancement. The poll findings draw from a survey conducted between Oct. 20–29 of 4,240 adults in the US, 1,121 of whom identified as employed HR professionals.

Overall, 15% of self-identified HR professionals reported earning less than $50,000 annually for their role, while 34% and 49% said they earned between $50,000–$99,000 and more than $100,000, respectively.

Among the HR professionals surveyed, men were more likely to report holding higher-level titles, with 87% saying they held a managerial or higher title (i.e., director, VP, or chief people officer), compared to 70% of women. Men were also more likely to earn six figures, with 56% saying they brought in $100,000 or more for their role, compared to 38% of women. Women were more likely to report earning less than $50,000 a year, with 21% falling in this category, compared to 11% of men in the survey.

The results showed racial inequities in the profession as well. Some 87% of white HR professionals reported holding a managerial title or higher, compared to 74% of BIPOC respondents. HR pros in nonmanagerial roles said they earned lower compensation overall than those in manager, director, VP, or chief people officer roles, with 37% earning less than $50,000 a year.

Addressing the ‘broken rung’ in HR. The poll findings align with recent McKinsey research documenting a “broken rung” for women in the workplace, Maria Colacurcio, CEO of pay equity software platform Syndio, told HR Brew.

For every 100 men promoted to manager in 2022, just 87 women achieved the same, McKinsey found. “As a result of this ‘broken rung,’ women fall behind and can’t catch up,” the consulting firm wrote in its report.

HR is a woman-dominated field, but nevertheless, “there’s still a pay gap,” Colacurcio said. “So the question I would have is [are women] entering at the same time as men, and are men progressing more effectively and efficiently up the ladder?”

To address the broken rung, Colacurcio said Syndio recommends organizations set representation goals, as well as track and measure accountability on those goals. She also suggested companies pay careful attention to starting pay and ensure that it’s not only competitive, but also equitable when compared to employees with similar roles at the company.

Finding ways to fix pay and promotion inequities may have implications for employee morale. The HR Brew/Harris Poll survey found less than two in three HR pros (39%) “strongly agree” they’re fairly compensated for work they do—and lower-compensated individuals were less likely to agree.