Women may be at a disadvantage when it comes to landing a gig as a pastor in most churches, but according to a recent study those who do fill that role earn signifcantly more than their male counterparts.
Researchers evaluated over 5,750 surveys that measured compensation for 13 different “positions” in the church – everything from bookkeepers to youth pastors and senior pastors. According to the study, female “solo pastors” earned about 10% more than males in terms of total compensation. While their salaries were 8.4% more than men, their benefits were signifcantly higher. For example, housing allowances were about 20% more for female pastors, and retirement benefits were better by nearly 25%!
According to the article, the pastorate is one of only two professions where women outearn their male counterparts. The other is the traditionally female dominated Secretary/Administrative Assistant position.
I’m not entirely sure what this tells us about the state of affairs for women seeking pastoral positions in the church. Progressive churches that are willing to hire women are providing them with significantly more in terms of compensation than they are men who fill the same role. However, the fact that over 97% of the “solo pastors” surveyed were men proves that it’s still nearly impossible for a woman to enter the field in the first place.
Shane Bertou 