Top-Paying Jobs for Women

Though a pay gap persists--women's earnings remain stalled at around 80% of men's--women are finding the jobs that pay them the most, and some may surprise you. Based on a U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau 2008 analysis, we ranked women's median weekly earnings as full-time wage and salary workers to uncover the highest paying jobs for women.

No. 1: Pharmacists

Women's median weekly earnings: $1,647
Women's median yearly earnings: $85,644
Percentage of men's earnings: 84.9%
Education required: PCAT; Pharm.D. degree; six to seven years of collegiate study
What they do: Distribute pharmaceutical drugs

No. 2: Chief Executives
Women's median weekly earnings: $1,603
Women's median yearly earnings: $83,356
Percentage of men's earnings: 80.1%
Education required: Varies; many hold a bachelor's or graduate degree in business administration or more specialized discipline
What they do: Hold overall responsibility for the operation of an organization, including corporate and small businesses

No. 3: Lawyers
Women's median weekly earnings: $1,509
Women's median yearly earnings: $78,468
Percentage of men's earnings: 77.5%
Education required: LSAT; J.D. degree; about seven years of collegiate study
What they do: Advocate in criminal and civil courts and provide legal counsel to clients on business and personal matters

No. 4: Computer Software Engineers
Women's median weekly earnings: $1,351
Women's median yearly earnings: $70,252
Percentage of men's earnings: 87.3%
Education required: Bachelor of computer science or software engineering
What they do: Design, develop, test and evaluate computer systems and software

No. 5: Computer and Information Systems Managers
Women's median weekly earnings: $1,260
Women's median yearly earnings: $65,520
Percentage of men's earnings: 85.4%
Education required: Bachelor's degree; often a technology-specific MBA
What they do: Implement technology into an organization, often overseeing network security and IT operations

source: Forbes