The salaries of female credit union CEOs trailed their malecounterparts significantly across all asset size categories,according to Executive Compensation Solutions' 2013 Survey.

Overall, the average female CEO's salary was $178,080 in 2013,compared to $172,756 in 2012. Comparatively, the average male CEO'ssalary was $223,834 in 2013, up from $208,231 in 2012.

The findings show not only a higher level of base pay for maleCEOs, but also a higher level of base pay increase from the prioryear, the report pointed out.

The report downplayed assumptions the pay differential could beexplained, at least in part, by men more frequently heading largecredit unions while women CEOs are the majority in small creditunions.

“It appears that while a large number of credit unions havelifted the glass ceiling on women when it comes to access to thecorner office, there are still difference in pay levels that arenot solely attributable to the size of the institution,” the reportsaid.

The number of women in the corner office gained a little ground,as 31% of responding CEOs said during the June 2013 survey they arefemale. That marked a slight increase from the 29% of women CEOs in2012.

Interestingly, the survey found that the glass ceiling wasthinner above $1 billion in assets than the two asset classesbelow. While 33% of CEOs responding from credit unions with morethan $1 billion in assets were women, just 10% of CEOs from creditunions between $500 million and $1 billion were female. And, only20% of CEOs at credit unions between $200 million and $500 millionwere women. The only asset class where women CEOs outnumbered menwas in the smallest $50 million and under class.

Almost 70% of responding CEOs said they were aged 50 or older.Forty-six percent said they were between 51 and 60 years of age,while 23.5% said they're over the age of 60. The average CEO saidhe or she had been in the position for 12 years, and had served anaverage of nearly 25 years in the credit union industry.

A bachelor's degree was the highest level of education for 53%of responding CEOs, up from last year's mark of 49%. Thirty heldmaster's degrees, compared to 33% in 2012, and an unchanged 8%reported just an associate's degree.

Interestingly, the report said while it appears there is aslight trend in paying CEOs higher levels of compensation wheneducational levels are higher, the variances are small enough thatis it reasonable to assume that education is not a key compensationdriver.