More women specializing in commercial management

The Cornell University Program in Real Estate has released the results of its Women in Commercial Real Estate Report, sponsored by the Commercial Real Estate Women Network.

The study, which covers a variety of components from compensation to job satisfaction, was first completed in 2005. More than 2,900 property professionals, including brokerage and leasing professionals, property managers and financial executives, responded.

Researchers determined that women comprise 43 percent of commercial real estate professionals nationwide. The study further found that the percentage of women specializing in asset, property, and facilities management has increased from 47 percent to 56 percent during the past decade, while the percentage specializing in financial and professional services decreased to 43 percent after five years of holding steady at 44 percent.

Finally, women in commercial real estate reported lower annual compensation than men, although gaps appear to be narrowing. About 28 percent of women reported earning less than $75,000 a year versus just 12 percent of men. Meanwhile, 11 percent of the women polled reported receiving $250,000 or more in annual compensation compared with 31 percent of men industrywide.