NSF surveyed 73,611 Ph.D. scientists of varying levels of experience, with a response rate of 55 percent. The findings show that the median annual salary of white Ph.D.'s in all disciplines is 7.5 percent to 11 percent more than what minorities earn. For instance, the median pay for white chemists is 22.2 percent more than the median for black chemists and 3.7 percent more than the median for Hispanic chemists. For physicists, the median for whites is 2.6 percent more than the median for blacks and 4.8 percent more than the median for Hispanics. The study also found that Asian Ph.D.'s earn less than whites in most disciplines.
Disparities often exist despite job function and length of employment.
According to the NSF data, for example, the median pay for a white female Ph.D. with 10 to 14 years' experience is 3.4 percent more than her black female colleague's salary. Minority scientists say they aren't surprised by the findings. They say the pay gap in science reflects, to an unquantifiable extent, institutionalized discrimination throughout society, especially in industry, in which pay scales aren't regulated as they are in government. But minority scientists maintain that more than discrimination is at work here. They also lament that few minority youngsters are entering the sciences, which produces a small pool of role models for the future and, most important, keeps a lid on the average salary.