A new state study of gender pay gaps at the nine Massachusetts state colleges found male faculty at Fitchburg State University made an average of $7,336 more than women, while Worcester State showed no significant difference.
For the average of all nine colleges, the study — conducted by the Massachusetts State College Association — found men made an average of $83,919 compared to $80,290, with men holding the job for an average of two years longer.
The executive summary, written by Virginia Rutter of Framingham State University and Jenn Berg of Fitchburg State University, said men at Framingham State who hold the rank of associate professor earned an average of $5,340 more than women.
In an email, Framingham State Communications Director Dan Magazu said the university doesn’t believe there is enough data to draw conclusions about a gender wage gap at the school.
The university will be conducting its own salary study to analyze differences in pay between gender, race and other factors, he said.
“Framingham State is 100 percent committed to pay equity,” Magazu said.
The study showed no significant difference in pay at Worcester State University, as men earned $80,807 with an average tenure of 13.2 years compared to $79,534 and 10.8 years for women. Women professors at Framingham State University actually made more than men, $77,314 to $76,929, with women actually serving longer.
Male professors at Fitchburg State have an average tenure of 14 years, compared to 11.1 for women.
In a statement, the school said there is “insufficient data” to support the study’s conclusions.
“Important factors in determining salary—including prior professional experience, terminal degree and academic discipline—were not considered in the study, for example,” the school said. “And, as the authors note, some of the data sets analyzed are very small.”
Fitchburg State also said it is conducting its own review with current information.
