Female representation is climbing in academia's highest administrative ranks in the United States — but women in those jobs earn less than men do in the same positions, finds a report by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Gender Pay Gap and the Representation of Women in Higher Education Administrative Positions says that, by 2016, about half of university administration positions combined — such as department head or dean — were held by women. But pay equity has not kept up. In 2001, women in such positions earned about US$0.77 for every $1 earned by men in those jobs, a gap of $0.23. That narrowed to about $0.20 in 2016, the report finds, which translates into a difference of about $20,000 in annual pay. It says that the discrepancy could be due to the smaller number of women in academia's highest administrative ranks, which also pay the most. Although women hold more than half of all department-head positions (54%), less than 30% of top university executives are female. The pay gap narrows with increasing seniority but widens again after 17 years of service.