After clocking a juicy 38% collective pay increase in 2006, CEOs of the 500 largest companies in the U.S.--as measured by a composite ranking of sales, profits, assets and market value--saw their compensation dwindle an average 15% in 2007. (Chalk up much of that volatility to performance-based compensation packages tied to flagging earnings and share prices.) Meanwhile, [the 13 female CEOs out of the group of 500] saw their pay jump an average 27%.

Not that the pay gap between male and (the few) female CEOs doesn't persist. The average take, including salary and bonuses, for all 500 CEOs was $12.8 million--double the female average of $6.5 million.