Women who work at full-time, year-round jobs earn an average of 78 cents for every dollar earned by men who also spend at least 35 hours a week at work, according to a report released last year by the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Experts say the gender wage gap persists because of a variety of factors, including the fact women are more likely than men to take time off or leave jobs to take care of their families. Women are also more likely than men to work in low-paying professions.

"What that broad [wage gap] figure shows us is women's concentration in low-wage jobs," said Katherine Gallagher Robbins, director of research and policy analysis at the National Women's Law Center, who added that women represent nearly two-thirds of minimum-wage workers in the U.S.

But women can shatter the glass ceiling or at least come closer to reaching it if they enter professions that offer a greater level of pay parity. To compile a list of such careers, Forbes magazine analyzed data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics by tracking the earnings of full-time workers in 2014, breaking data down by gender and occupation, and excluding occupations that employed fewer than 2,000 women last year.

Earnings as a percentage of men's earnings: 136 percent

Female sales engineers, who typically need the equivalent of a bachelor's in engineering, can expect annual median earnings of approximately $134,472. And women, who make up 5 percent of professionals in their field, outpace men when it comes to salary. That's likely because women's verbal abilities typically make them more adept at selling things than men, according to Dr. Warren Farrell, author of "Why Men Earn More: The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap – And What Women Can Do About It."

Farrell also said that women's prevalence in lower-wage retail sales jobs contributed to the overall wage gap.

Earnings as a percentage of men's earnings: 86 percent

Miscellaneous mathematical science occupations include a wide variety of professions that aren't more specifically defined by the BLS. Women employed in the broad category make median annual earnings of approximately $128,908 and make up 67 percent of the wide-ranging group.

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Earnings as a percentage of men's earnings: 87 percent

Female physicists and astronomers, who make up a quarter of professionals in the field, earn a median of $118,768. Physicists and astronomers spend their days "observing, researching and interpreting" astronomical or physical phenomena, according to the BLS.

Earnings as a percentage of men's earnings: 81 percent

At 63 percent, women make up more than half of this high-paying healthcare field. Nurse anesthetists, who must be registered nurses with a specialized graduate education, can expect to earn a median of approximately $114,452 annually.

Earning as a percentage of men's earnings: 106 percent

A quarter of petroleum engineers in the U.S. were women in 2014 and earned a median of approximately $104,988 a year, putting them slightly ahead of their male counterparts. Petroleum engineers spend their workdays offering technical advice, devising methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production and overseeing drilling operations, according to the BLS.

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Earnings as a percentage of men's earnings: 87 percent

Women made up just over half of the country's pool of pharmacists in 2014 and took in median annual earnings of approximately $98,904 for their work in retail stores, hospitals and other healthcare settings.

Earnings as a percentage of men's earnings: 314 percent

An outlier on a roster dominated by healthcare professions and math, science and engineering careers, this job also boasted the biggest pay premium for female workers among those on the top 10 list. Women could expect to earn a median of approximately $95,368 annually, but made up just 9 percent of those in the field in 2014.

Earnings as a percentage of men's earnings: 286 percent

Women, who made up just 4 percent of people in this profession last year, brought in a median of approximately $92,508 annually in this broad field that could include working with roofers, carpenters, electricians or other construction industry professionals.

Earnings as a percentage of men's earnings: N/A

Women, who made up 100 percent of this field in 2014, according to BLS data, earn a median of approximately $91,208 annually. Nuclear technicians spend their days conducting research on nuclear engineering projects or dealing with issues related to the release, control and use of nuclear energy and nuclear waste disposal.

And, if a nuclear plant, construction site or oil rig isn't your idea of an ideal work environment, you're not alone. Novelists, painters and other creative professionals might be able to work from home and set their own schedules, said Farrell, but those perks don't often include high pay.

Earnings as a percentage of men's earnings: 88 percent

Women, who made up 6 percent of this professional pool last year, earned a median of approximately $90,168 and spent their days researching, planning, directing or coordinating activities in fields such as architecture and engineering, according to the BLS.

These findings represent promising news for women who want to bring home nearly as much or more than their male counterparts, particularly for those interested in engineering, healthcare and other fields that reward high levels of education with hefty paychecks. Still, women in many of these fields continue to earn less than their male peers, Gallagher Robbins noted, and not every woman is willing or able to work as a construction helper or earn an advanced degree.

She said that the wage gap is narrowing but "there's a lot more that needs to be done."

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com:

10 Highest-Paying Jobs for Women

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