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MPW

Women Make More Than Men in This C-Level Position

By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
December 18, 2015, 10:32 AM ET
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WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 02: Morgan Stanley Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President Ruth Porat participates in a panel discussion at the Brookings Institution March 2, 2015 in Washington, DC. The institution hosted a series of lectures and discussions as party of a program called "The Fed in the 21st century: Independence, governance, and accountability." (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)Photograph by Chip Somodevilla — Getty Images

As a rule, men out-earn women in the U.S., making about 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. Yet when it comes to the salaries of corporate finance leaders, it’s the men who have catching up to do.

A new study by executive compensation firm Equilar and the Associated Press found that female CFOs at S&P 500 companies made more than their male counterparts in 2014, according to the AP. On average, women finance chiefs made about $200,000 more than men, with a median salary of $3.32 million.

Female CFOs’ salaries are also growing faster than those of male CFOs; last year, women’s earnings increased by 11%, while men’s earnings increased by 7%, according to the report.

The highest paid female CFO is Google’s (and parent company Alphabet’s) Ruth Porat, who was paid $14.4 million in 2014 (she was Morgan Stanley’s CFO at the time). Porat made her first appearance on Fortune‘s list of Most Powerful Women this year, coming in at No. 26. When Google announced Porat’s hire, the company’s market cap rose by $65 million—so it’s probably safe to say she isn’t budging from the top-earner list.

J. P. Morgan Chase’s Marianne Lake, who took home $9.1 million in 2014, is the second-highest paid female CFO. No. 31 on our list of Most Powerful Women, Lake has heldthe CFO post at J.P. Morgan Chase for nearly three years now, overseeing a balance sheet with $2.4 trillion in assets.

Before we all start celebrating, however, it’s important to note that while they may out-earn men, women CFOs are still greatly outnumbered: There were only 60 female CFOs in the S&P 500 last year, reports the AP.

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About the Author
By Valentina Zarya
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