| Sharon Lee
Portland State University
Is there a glass ceiling in higher education? A study of Asian American faculty
FINAL REPORT:
This paper reports findings from an analysis of data from the 1993 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF-93) on whether an artificial barrier to achievement, or a glass ceiling, exists in higher education. The glass ceiling in higher education is examined by comparing the salaries of Asian American and non-Hispanic White faculty. Previous research on the glass ceiling suggests that Asian American faculty would encounter a glass ceiling, and have lower salaries, relative to comparable White faculty. The sample was restricted to full-time instructional faculty, and consists of 1,019 Asian Americans and 14,381 non-Hispanic Whites. Six models of an earnings function were estimated and included controls for demographic, life-cycle, human capital, productivity, field of specialization, institutional, and regional differences. The final saturated model was also estimated separately for Asians and Whites. Contrary to expectations, no evidence of a glass ceiling was uncovered. At the same time, the findings suggest that Asian Americans do not derive comparable benefits from several characteristics associated with higher salaries for Whites. The equivocal findings may reflect the state ofhigher education salaries. However, data limitations and the inability to control for possible selectivity of the sample caution against premature conclusions.
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