Representation and Wage Gaps in the Planning Profession: A Focus on Gender and Race/Ethnicity

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Although gender and racial/ethnic equity have been primary concerns in planning, little research has examined whether the planning profession has achieved such equity in its workforce. In this study, I investigated representation and wage gaps by gender and race/ethnicity in the U.S. planning profession. Using Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data, I explored a) whether gender and racial/ethnic gaps exist in representation and wages among planners and b) the extent to which such gaps changed over the 2000–2018 period and how they varied by employment sector. The results showed a substantial increase in the proportion of female planners over the study period. Black and Hispanic planners remained severely underrepresented, especially in the private sector, although the temporal patterns of their representation differed. Despite a significant reduction in the unadjusted gender wage gap among planners over time, the adjusted gap remained constant. Notably, the gender wage gap was significant only among planners with children, likely driven by fatherhood wage premiums. Unlike other related professions, planning did not exhibit significant racial/ethnic wage gaps at the beginning of the study period. However, Black and Hispanic planners in the public sector experienced significant wage penalties later in the study period. Takeaway for practice: Planning employers need to develop strategies to close the gender wage gap, which includes work–life benefits and workplace awareness campaigns to transform the masculine culture in the planning workplace. Results also highlight the need to improve Black and Hispanic planners’ representation, especially in the private sector. Particular focus should be directed toward supporting Black planners, given their decreasing representation in both sectors and their wage penalties in the public sector in recent years. My study further suggests that interventions that hold public sector employers more accountable for their pay decisions are needed to address the racial/ethnic wage gaps recently found among planners.