Most communicators are women, but they still trail men in pay, Ragan survey says

Women make up most of the communications industry. Why are they getting paid less?

Ragan’s Salary & Workplace Culture Survey: 2022 Edition reveals pay disparities by gender and geography, with salaries in the Northeast region slightly topping those of all other regions.

Industrywide, the average annual base salary is $111,312, the Ragan survey of internal and external communicators reveals.

Compensation lags for women

The Ragan survey shows that women’s average overall annual compensation ($109,593) falls short of men’s ($118,510). Men also reported higher bonuses at an average of $10,697—nearly $2,700 higher than bonuses handed out to women.

Female managers and other higher earners ($80,000+) also earned less than their male counterparts, averaging $90,924 versus $99,364 for males. The gap has widened since Ragan’s 2020’s survey, when women’s salaries averaged $94,200, versus $99,000 for male.

Women’s job satisfaction higher than salary satisfaction

Of the more than 500 respondents, men were only slightly more satisfied with their salaries than women (57% compared to 56%) despite men reporting higher base salaries by nearly $9,000.