Gender pay equity for college administrators is better at women-led schools than those helmed by men, but institutions — especially top research universities — have their work cut out for them to improve female representation in top roles, according to two reports released this month.

Only about one-third of college presidents are women, according to research from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources. But senior officers, administrators and division heads who are women are all paid more at institutions with female presidents than at those with male presidents.

Disparities in leadership are even worse at the 130 universities with the highest research activity, according to a report from the Women's Power Gap Initiative, an effort to increase the number of women in C-suite roles nationwide. Women comprise only 22% of presidents at these institutions.

Together, the reports reveal the extent to which gender inequities persist in the upper echelons of college administration. They call on institutions to improve, warning that they won't be as ready to lead in a fast-changing world without diverse management teams.

The CUPA-HR report cited research showing that women in the C-suite in corporations are more open to change and less open to risk.

"In an era where institutions are adapting to shifting workforce expectations, adjusting to continuous decreases in budgets, contemplating changes in enrollment, addressing challenges of recruitment and retention, and rethinking their mission, more openness to change and less tolerance of risk may be just what is needed to navigate this new landscape," its authors wrote.

Women don't just have lower representation at the top. They also get paid less than their male counterparts, with female college presidents earning 91 cents for every dollar male presidents earn, CUPA-HR found.

Similar pay disparities exist at other administrative levels. Female division heads at institutions with male presidents make 94 cents for every dollar their male peers make, for instance. Yet when women in those same roles work at institutions with female presidents, they make $1.06 for every $1 men make.

Read the full article about women-led colleges by Natalie Schwartz at Higher Education Dive.