Women run only 3.8% of the largest corporations in America, but the few who make it to the top take home the big bucks!  Although only 19 of the S&P500 companies had female CEOs in 2011, those women earned 13% more than their male peers.  Check out what each of these outstanding women earned below or browse the compensation for all S&P500 CEOs, male and female.

The Top 10…

1.  Irene Rosenfeld

Company: Kraft (KFT)

2011 Total Compensation: $21,944,694

CEO since: June 2006

 

 

2.  Debra Cafaro

Company: Ventas (VTR)

2011 Total Compensation: $18,498,831

CEO since: 1999

 

 

3.  Indra Nooyi

Company: Pepsico (PEP)

2011 Total Compensation: $17,116,089

CEO since: October 2006

 

 

4.  Meg Whitman

Company: Hewlett-Packard (HPQ)

2011 Total Compensation: $16,518,930

CEO since: Sept 2011

 

 

 5.  Carol Bartz

Company: Yahoo (YHOO)

2011 Total Compensation: $16,369,535

CEO since: January 2009

Ms. Bartz left the company effective September 6, 2011.  Timothy Morse, Scott Thompson, and Ross Levinsohn ran the company until July 2012, when Marissa Mayer was named CEO.

 

6.  Ellen Kullman

Company: DuPont (DD)

2011 Total Compensation: $15,926,631

CEO since: January 2009

 

 

7.  Angela Braly

Company: WellPoint (WLP)

2011 Total Compensation: $13,258,142

CEO since: June 2007

 

 

8.  Ursula Burns

Company: Xerox (XRX)

2011 Total Compensation: $12,902,607

CEO since: July 2009

 

 

9.  Carol Meyrowitz

Company: TJX Companies (TJX)

2011 Total Compensation: $11,087,649

CEO since: Jan 2007

 

 

10.  Patricia Woertz

Company: Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)

2011 Total Compensation: $11,079,862

CEO since: April 2006

 

…and a few more impressive women…

 

11.  Andrea Jung

Company: Avon (AVP)

2011 Total Compensation: $10,118,019

CEO since: 1999

Ms. Jung was replaced as CEO by Sherilyn McCoy in April 2012.

 

12.  Gretchen McClain

Company: Xylem (XYL)

2011 Total Compensation: $8,783,980

CEO since: 2011

 

 

13.  Patti Hart

Company: International Game Technology (IGT)

2011 Total Compensation: $8,533,562

CEO since: April 20098

 

 

14.  Lynn Elsenhaus

Company: Sunoco Co (SUN)

2011 Total Compensation: $8,217,113

CEO since: 2008

Ms. Elsenhans was replaced by Brian MacDonald on March 1, 2012.

 

15.  Debra Reed

Company: Sempra Energy (SRE)

2011 Total Compensation: $8,179,678

CEO since: June 2011

Ms. Reed is not the highest paid executive of Sempra with Executive Chairman Donald Felsinger taking home $11.8 million.

 

16.  Maggie Wilderotter

Company: Frontier Communications (FTR)

2011 Total Compensation: $6,720,863

CEO since: 2004

 

 

 

17.  Sara Mathew

Company: Dun & Bradstreet (DNB)

2011 Total Compensation: $6,666,922

CEO since: July 1, 2010

 

 

 

18.  Beth Mooney

Company: KeyCorp (KEY)

2011 Total Compensation: $4,955,665

CEO since: April 2011

 

 

 

19.  Gracia Martore

Company: Gannett Co (GCI)

2011 Total Compensation: $4,693,809

CEO since: October 2011

Ms. Martore, CEO since October 2011, is not the highest paid executive of Gannet with Former Chairman & CEO Craig Dubow taking home $12.3 million in 2011.