The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) has looked inward with the publication of a study on rabbinic compensation by gender within the Reform Rabbinate.

Based on the findings of the study, which confirmed “what was known anecdotally” – namely that male Reform rabbis out-earned female Reform rabbis – a broad-ranging program of education and advocacy is being designed for rabbis and the communities they serve to address this discrepancy. The Reform Movement has had a longstanding commitment to economic justice and, as early as 1928, the CCAR called upon society to provide “equal pay for equal work.”

The new Study of Rabbinic Compensation by Gender relies upon data collected in the 2010-2011 Study of Rabbinic Compensation. Among the key findings:

• For Senior/Solo Rabbis, salary increases as congregational size increases.
• For Senior/Solo Rabbis, salary discrepancy increases between men and women rabbis as congregational size increases, with women making less than men.
• For Assistant Rabbis, women rabbis make less than men rabbis on average.
• For Associate Rabbis, women rabbis’ base salaries are slightly higher than men’s salaries.

In releasing the study findings, the CCAR indicated they “will continue to provide resources to address the issue of the salary gap by including an ongoing combination of advocacy, education and conversation in order to work to close the differential. This includes education opportunities for women to learn more about negotiating, as well as advocacy on behalf of women individually and as a group.”