Female McMaster professors getting a pay boost to same level as men

Female professors at McMaster University will get a pay raise under a new plan to make sure women faculty are paid fairly.

The university will boost the base salaries of female faculty by $3,515 per year starting on July 1. The increase comes after a joint study between the university and the faculty association determined that female faculty make that much less than their male counterparts.

The study looked at pay equity over 2012 and 2013, and a full report will be available shortly. It found a "systematic bias" in favour of male faculty over female faculty when it came to salaries, according to a joint statement from the university and the McMaster University Faculty Association.

Researchers looked at the average salaries of male and female faculty based on appointment type, department, rank and the number of years in the rank. It found the difference averaged $3,515.

The study's authors also tried to look at whether gender differences were greater in some faculties than others, and those results were inconclusive, the statement says.

It's not the first time the university has looked at gender and pay. In January 2014, the Yates committee on gender equity released the report "Women faculty, now and in the future: Building excellence at McMaster University." The university is implementing those recommendations.