Why Are Female CEOs Out-Earning Male Peers?
By Jo Miller
It’s well known that women are under-represented in C-suite leadership positions, but some fascinating statistics have recently come to light about how female CEOs and the compensation they attract.
Leah Kinthaert at TechX365 writes, “The Washington Post has reported that ‘the median female CEO made $13.1 million in 2016, compared with $11.4 million for the median male CEO.’ And we should expect to see this trend increasing.”
Why are female CEOs out-earning their male peers?
I spoke to Kinthaert to speculate about factors that might be contributing to this surprising news.
Research has shown that diverse teams achieve superior performance, productivity and innovation. At Sodexo, for example, gender-balanced teams were more engaged, and delivered higher client retention, organic growth, and profit.
And a recent study revealed that when women found tech startups, they build companies that employ twice the number of women as do their male counterparts.
So to understand why women leaders are paid more, connect the dots. Women in top leadership roles can attract a more diverse workforce, which delivers superior business results.”
Jo Miller
Jo Miller is a globally renowned authority on women’s leadership. She’s dedicated two decades to helping women advance into positions of influence by leveraging their leadership strengths. Based on her work with hundreds of thousands of women, she developed a pragmatic and powerful roadmap that guides women to become the leaders they aspire to be. Jo shares this proven process in her book Woman of Influence: 9 Steps to Build Your Brand, Establish Your Legacy, and Thrive (McGraw Hill, 2019.)
Jo is CEO of leadership development, consulting and research firm Be Leaderly. Learn more about her speaking engagements at www.JoMiller.com and follow @Jo_Miller on Twitter.

By Jo Miller
It’s well known that women are under-represented in C-suite leadership positions, but some fascinating statistics have recently come to light about how female CEOs and the compensation they attract.
Leah Kinthaert at TechX365 writes, “The Washington Post has reported that ‘the median female CEO made $13.1 million in 2016, compared with $11.4 million for the median male CEO.’ And we should expect to see this trend increasing.”
Why are female CEOs out-earning their male peers?
I spoke to Kinthaert to speculate about factors that might be contributing to this surprising news.
Research has shown that diverse teams achieve superior performance, productivity and innovation. At Sodexo, for example, gender-balanced teams were more engaged, and delivered higher client retention, organic growth, and profit.
And a recent study revealed that when women found tech startups, they build companies that employ twice the number of women as do their male counterparts.
So to understand why women leaders are paid more, connect the dots. Women in top leadership roles can attract a more diverse workforce, which delivers superior business results.”

Jo Miller
Jo Miller is a globally renowned authority on women’s leadership. She’s dedicated two decades to helping women advance into positions of influence by leveraging their leadership strengths. Based on her work with hundreds of thousands of women, she developed a pragmatic and powerful roadmap that guides women to become the leaders they aspire to be. Jo shares this proven process in her book Woman of Influence: 9 Steps to Build Your Brand, Establish Your Legacy, and Thrive (McGraw Hill, 2019.)
Jo is CEO of leadership development, consulting and research firm Be Leaderly. Learn more about her speaking engagements at www.JoMiller.com and follow @Jo_Miller on Twitter.