In 1999, female doctors, specialists and surgeons who entered the job force made just $3,600 less than men who began their medical careers with the same jobs. As of 2008, the gap had widened to more than $16,800, according to a new study.
It is well known that women have traditionally chosen lower-paying medical jobs in primary-care fields. But when the researchers accounted for this and other outside factors, they still found that female doctors who entered the job force in 2008 made a disproportionate amount of money compared to men.
For instance, female heart surgeons earned an average of about $27,000 less than men, while female pulmonary disease specialists earned an average $44,320 less than men.
The statistics were gleaned from a study of nearly 5,000 men and more than 3,300 women who finished their training programs in New York, the state that churns out more doctors, specialists and surgeons than any other.
The researchers pointed out that nearly half of all current medical students are women. However, the gender wage gap in America is still alive and well despite the gains made by women in the job force. The Los Angeles Times reported today that the overall American wage gap is nearly 23%, meaning that women earn only 77 cents for every dollar a man makes in the same job.
Gender bias must surely play a role in the wage gap for the American job pool in general, but the researchers for the latest study were very hesitant to blame gender bias for the medical wage discrepancy. They felt that the reason female doctors are being paid less year over year is that women are negotiating for more family-friendly benefits. These benefits might include less hours on call and a more predictable work schedule, etc. These benefits could help women avoid burnout and perhaps start a family.
The lead author of the study was Anthony Lo Sasso of the School of Public Health of the University of Illinois at Chicago. He said he believes women are essentially “trading off some salary for other non-monetary aspects of the job.”
This could be true, but the researchers could not rule out gender bias. One shrewd point made by the researchers is that it doesn’t make sense that the wage gap would virtually disappear in the late 1990s and then return yet again.
If women are working less hours, this could ultimately lead to a more fulfilling career and life in general. There are many studies that show a high percentage of doctors are burned out and would rather focus on a higher quality of life instead of a career that runs their life.
The presence of more and more female doctors, specialists and surgeons may be changing the landscape of employee job expectations for these women. In other words, employers may be listening to the demands of female medical practitioners.
Do you believe this is true, or is it gender bias? Or a combination of both?
Certainly more research needs to be done as a follow-up to the new study, which appears in this week’s journal Health Affairs.
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