Abundant research has documented a gender pay gap; women earn less than men, all else being equal. Against the backdrop of an overall female penalty, we propose that the widespread adoption of diversity goals in organizations creates a female premium for certain women. We integrate the economic principle of supply and demand with theory from the field of strategic human resource management and theorize that individuals perceive high-potential women-who have the abilities needed to reach the upper echelons of organizations, where women remain underrepresented-as more valuable for achieving organizational diversity goals than high-potential men and, in turn, reward them with higher pay. Two field studies (Studies 1 and 3) and two laboratory experiments (Studies 2 and 4) reveal a female premium that is unique to high-potential women (Studies 1 and 2), driven by perceptions that high-potential women have more diversity value than high-potential men (Studies 2 and 4), and larger in contexts where diversity goals are stronger (Studies 3 and 4). Our theory and findings challenge the assumption that the gender pay gap uniformly disadvantages women and offer new insight into why and when the female penalty reverses and becomes a female premium. A strange thing began to happen a couple of years ago. As if the stars had simultaneously aligned in my favor, rather than having to ask, I began receiving [pay] increases that were 3-4 times the standard annual rates. In addition to my regular bonus, I received "special" cash and equity incentives from the company's operating committee and Board of Directors. Soon, executives from external companies began calling and attempting to recruit me to their firms. I honestly wondered what "list" my name was on and how that list had ended up in the hands of this many executives at the same time. I have always delivered strong business results, but the intense focus that companies now have on "diversity" and "gender balance" is definitely working in my favor.