Pay Equity in Applied Behavior Analysis

Pay equity is the practice of minimizing employee wage inequalities based on gender, race, and other criteria. The goal of this practice is to ensure equitable compensation for comparable work and experience. Pay discrepancies have existed in a wide range of professional fields for many years; however, the degree to which equal and fair pay occurs among practicing applied behavior analysts is currently unknown, and represents an important step for ensuring parity in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA). We conducted an online survey to gather pay information from certified behavior analysts and analyzed pay equity across race and gender for each level of certification. Findings suggest that some level of pay inequity exist across all levels of certification. However, female minority groups tend to be affected by pay inequity the most, both in terms of average salary earned and increase in pay across levels of certification. Findings also indicate that a large proportion of ABA employers are female nonminorities. We discuss the implications of these findings and provide suggestions for improving pay equity in ABA.