Gender Differences in the Salaries of Physician Researchers

Abstract

TUDIES HAVE REVEALED GENDER differences in physicians' pay, 1-8 but experts continue to debate the magnitude and cause of these differences. Some evidence suggests that disparities in pay are explained by specialization, work hours, and productivity, 9 leading some to believe that they are justifiable outcomes of different choices made by men and women. Debate persists in part because most studies of physicians' pay have included relatively heterogeneous groups, are now dated, or are limited by lack of information on key factors such as specialty 10 or family characteristics. 11 Given the lack of conclusive evidence to answer whether male and female physicians who do similar work are paid differently in the present day, we sought to determine whether there were gender differences in salary of a relatively homogeneous sample: physicians who were granted prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) K08 and K23 career development awards in 2000-2003 and who continued to work at academic institutions. We focused on this select population to minimize variability in aptitude or motivation as well as in seniority and content of work activities. Consequently, we expected to find little if any gender difference in salary and that any differences observed would be explained by specialty, productivity, or other measured factors. METHODS Data Collection We identified all 1853 recipients of new K08 and K23 awards in 2000 through 2003 using the CRISP (Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects) database. 12 After approval by the Author Affiliations: Departments of Radiation Oncology (Dr Jagsi and Mss Sambuco and DeCastro), Psychology (Dr Stewart), and Women's Studies (Dr Stewart),

Sex Differences in Academic Rank in US Medical Schools in 2014

“…4 Moreover, male physician researchers earn more than female researchers even after adjustment for differences in academic productivity. 5 Previous studies of sex differences in academic rank have several limitations, including analyses of single institutions or specialties, limited survey sizes, use of publications as the sole marker of productivity, and noncontemporary data. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) have provided the most comprehensive evidence of sex differences in faculty rank.…”

Systems of Career Influences: A Conceptual Model for Evaluating the Professional Development of Women in Academic Medicine

“…Advancement is usually slower, and salaries are often lower for women than for men. 2,[20][21][22][23][24] Not surprisingly in light of these findings, the departure rates from academic medical faculties are greater for women than for men. 25 The extent to which women participate in service and teaching relative to research activities may affect their advancement, particularly in research-intensive schools.…”

Gender Differences in Resources and Negotiation Among Highly Motivated Physician-Scientists

“…31 Similarly, in a study of individuals who received K awards in 2000-2003, women earned lower salary than men in similar positions with similar credentials in terms of specialty, academic rank, leadership positions, publications, and research time. 16 This may be due to reluctance on the part of women to negotiate as aggressively for a higher starting salary, either to avoid interpersonal conflict with their new employer, or due to a decreased perceived sense of power. 5,7,8 Our present results show that, in our highly motivated cohort of successful academicians, women were not less likely than their male colleagues to have asked for a raise in the two years preceding the survey (with a trend in the opposite direction).…”

“…15,16 It included 173 items that assessed demographics, education, time allocation, mentoring experiences, family responsibilities, career satisfaction and work environment. The questions relating to negotiation experiences were developed after extensive qualitative investigation 5 to define the relevant constructs of interest, followed by detailed cognitive pretesting of the entire instrument.…”

“…Age was analyzed as a continuous variable and specialty was grouped into five categories (medical, surgical, hospital-based, relating to care of women, children and families or basic sciences), as described previously. 15,16 Access to and Satisfaction With Resources. We asked respondents to rate the adequacy of access to the following resources: (1) Research space; (2) Research equipment; (3) Secretarial support; (4) Grants administrators; (5) Statistical support.…”