Women in Academia in Rhode Island
How women in academia fare in Rhode Island — state-adjusted pay gap, state ranking, and the national context that frames the local picture.
The state-adjusted picture
Women in academia nationally face the same structural conditions as women in every other field — but the overall wage environment in Rhode Island modifies the baseline by +2.1% relative to the US average. A state where the overall pay gap is narrower tends to reflect narrower gaps within fields too, though field-specific dynamics dominate for specialized professions.
Rhode Island has never elected a woman US Senator.
National context
Women now earn the majority of US doctorates and the majority of early-career postdocs — but hold 33% of full professorships. The leaky pipeline isn't about the front end anymore; it's about tenure, administrative roles, and the step from associate to full professor.
National headline stats (academia)
Other fields in Rhode Island
Academia in other states
Related pages
Frequently asked
What is the pay gap for women in academia in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island’s overall pay ratio is 85.6% — a 14.4% gap. The gap within academia follows the national pattern modified by Rhode Island’s overall wage environment. See the full national field data for in-field specifics.
How does Rhode Island rank on pay equity?
Rhode Island ranks #10 of 51 US jurisdictions on pay equity, per Census ACS state ratios.
How are women represented in Rhode Island politics?
32.4% of Rhode Island state legislators are women (CAWP 2024). 1 women from Rhode Island serve in the 119th US Congress.
Where does the national academia data come from?
NSF Survey of Earned Doctorates; AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey; American Council on Education — Women in Leadership