CREW Network: Gender Pay Gap Dips; Gender Discrimination Rises

(Illustration courtesy of Artem Podrez via Pexels)

Collective efforts to achieve gender parity in the commercial real estate industry are far from complete, Commercial Real Estate Women Network reported this week.

“In fact, little progress has been made in the 20 years [the survey has been conducted],” the report said.

The study, conducted every five years in partnership with the MIT Center for Real Estate, indicates that–consistent with the last four studies–a gender pay gap still exists.

Women make 4% less than men in base salaries, CREW Network said. Women make 13% less in overall compensation packages, including base salary, commission, bonuses and profit-sharing. Women make 35% less in compensation from commission, bonuses, and profit-sharing.

But the report noted the gender pay gap has decreased since 2020.

For the first time in the history of the study, women reported that gender discrimination in the workplace is their primary obstacle to career advancement. “Gender discrimination has emerged as a greater barrier with each study,” CREW Network said. 

CREW Network said women comprise 38% of the commercial real estate industry overall. “This percentage has remained almost constant over the last 20 years,” the report noted. “For the fourth straight study, women hold approximately 9% of C-suite positions.” 

The report noted 30% of men and women aspire to the C-suite. “This is a significant decline from past years; in 2015 and 2020, 40% and 43%, respectively, of male respondents aspired to C-suite jobs. The number of women aspiring to the C-suite dipped slightly, from 32% in 2020 to 30% in 2025,” CREW Network said. 

For the fourth straight study, women listed having an internal senior executive mentor as their top contributing factor to future success. 

The data reflected a “stagnation” in the career ambitions of the youngest female respondents. “Only 31% of women under 40 now report aspiring to a C-suite position, compared to 36% in the 2020 study,” the report said. “Their desire for jobs such as senior vice president or partner remained steady.”

The report said CRE professionals spend 56% of their time in the office. On average, they work 46 hours per week–26 hours in the office, 15 hours remotely and 5 hours in the field. Women work remotely 2.5 hours more per week than men.

More than 2,400 industry professionals across all commercial real estate sectors participated in the study between January 20 and April 30, 2025. Nearly 90% of respondents reside in the United States and 8% in Canada, 86% identified as women and 85% identified as non-Hispanic white. The benchmark study was made possible by support from CREW Network Foundation and contributing underwriters ICSC, MBA and NAIOP.