stock-based awards under the plan stock options 2013 marathon grants stock options under the 2007 plan and previously granted options under the 2003 plan . marathon 2019s stock options represent the right to purchase shares of common stock at the fair market value of the common stock on the date of grant . through 2004 , certain stock options were granted under the 2003 plan with a tandem stock appreciation right , which allows the recipient to instead elect to receive cash and/or common stock equal to the excess of the fair market value of shares of common stock , as determined in accordance with the 2003 plan , over the option price of the shares . in general , stock options granted under the 2007 plan and the 2003 plan vest ratably over a three-year period and have a maximum term of ten years from the date they are granted . stock appreciation rights 2013 prior to 2005 , marathon granted sars under the 2003 plan . no stock appreciation rights have been granted under the 2007 plan . similar to stock options , stock appreciation rights represent the right to receive a payment equal to the excess of the fair market value of shares of common stock on the date the right is exercised over the grant price . under the 2003 plan , certain sars were granted as stock-settled sars and others were granted in tandem with stock options . in general , sars granted under the 2003 plan vest ratably over a three-year period and have a maximum term of ten years from the date they are granted . stock-based performance awards 2013 prior to 2005 , marathon granted stock-based performance awards under the 2003 plan . no stock-based performance awards have been granted under the 2007 plan . beginning in 2005 , marathon discontinued granting stock-based performance awards and instead now grants cash-settled performance units to officers . all stock-based performance awards granted under the 2003 plan have either vested or been forfeited . as a result , there are no outstanding stock-based performance awards . restricted stock 2013 marathon grants restricted stock and restricted stock units under the 2007 plan and previously granted such awards under the 2003 plan . in 2005 , the compensation committee began granting time-based restricted stock to certain u.s.-based officers of marathon and its consolidated subsidiaries as part of their annual long-term incentive package . the restricted stock awards to officers vest three years from the date of grant , contingent on the recipient 2019s continued employment . marathon also grants restricted stock to certain non-officer employees and restricted stock units to certain international employees ( 201crestricted stock awards 201d ) , based on their performance within certain guidelines and for retention purposes . the restricted stock awards to non-officers generally vest in one-third increments over a three-year period , contingent on the recipient 2019s continued employment . prior to vesting , all restricted stock recipients have the right to vote such stock and receive dividends thereon . the non-vested shares are not transferable and are held by marathon 2019s transfer agent . common stock units 2013 marathon maintains an equity compensation program for its non-employee directors under the 2007 plan and previously maintained such a program under the 2003 plan . all non-employee directors other than the chairman receive annual grants of common stock units , and they are required to hold those units until they leave the board of directors . when dividends are paid on marathon common stock , directors receive dividend equivalents in the form of additional common stock units . stock-based compensation expense 2013 total employee stock-based compensation expense was $ 80 million , $ 83 million and $ 111 million in 2007 , 2006 and 2005 . the total related income tax benefits were $ 29 million , $ 31 million and $ 39 million . in 2007 and 2006 , cash received upon exercise of stock option awards was $ 27 million and $ 50 million . tax benefits realized for deductions during 2007 and 2006 that were in excess of the stock-based compensation expense recorded for options exercised and other stock-based awards vested during the period totaled $ 30 million and $ 36 million . cash settlements of stock option awards totaled $ 1 million and $ 3 million in 2007 and 2006 . stock option awards granted 2013 during 2007 , 2006 and 2005 , marathon granted stock option awards to both officer and non-officer employees . the weighted average grant date fair value of these awards was based on the following black-scholes assumptions: .

1	2007	2006	2005
2	weighted average exercise price per share	$ 60.94	$ 37.84	$ 25.14
3	expected annual dividends per share	$ 0.96	$ 0.80	$ 0.66
4	expected life in years	5.0	5.1	5.5
5	expected volatility	27% ( 27 % )	28% ( 28 % )	28% ( 28 % )
6	risk-free interest rate	4.1% ( 4.1 % )	5.0% ( 5.0 % )	3.8% ( 3.8 % )
7	weighted average grant date fair value of stock option awards granted	$ 17.24	$ 10.19	$ 6.15

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Previous questions in this conversation: what was the weighted average exercise price per share in 2007? and what was it in 2005?
Previous answers: 60.94 25.14
Question: what was, then, the change over the years?
Answer: 35.8