The Effect of Sex on Orthopaedic Surgeon Income

Abstract

Background: Several studies have identified discrepancies in salary between male and female surgeons. Our aim was to investigate the impact of sex on an orthopaedic surgeon’s yearly earnings by evaluating stratified income and specialty data from a large sample survey of orthopaedic surgeons. Methods: Self-reported data were obtained from the 2014 and 2008 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) biennial censuses. Responses were received from 6,805 (24.26%) of those who were surveyed. The census form is a 19-question survey that includes information regarding work status (full time versus part time), sex, years in practice, practice type (private versus academic), specialty, hours worked, case volume, and income. The main outcome evaluated was self-reported income, and a multivariate regression model was used to control for confounding variables. Results: Male surgeons reported higher incomes than female colleagues working equivalent hours ($802,474 versus $560,618; p = 0.016); however, male surgeons reported a greater case volume for the same number of hours. Among surgeons who performed ≥26 procedures per month, male and female surgeons reported comparable incomes ($949,508 versus $872,903; p = 0.649). Incomes of those in practice for >20 years also were comparable. Regression analysis controlling for subspecialty choice, hours worked, work status, case volume, years in practice, and practice setting revealed that income was $62,032.51 less for women than men (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Income disparity between male and female orthopaedic surgeons remains significant, and the gap increased from 2008 to 2014. Although subspecialty choice, practice setting, years in practice, and amount and distribution of procedures performed can partially explain salary differences, our regression analysis suggests persistence of an income gap based on sex in orthopaedic surgery.

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“…Only 1 woman (1%) was department chair during the 2015 to 2016 academic year 35 . There are also income disparities, with female orthopaedic surgeons earning $62,000 less income per year compared with men, accounting for subspecialty choice, hours worked, work status, case volume, years in practice, and practice setting 36 . Possible explanations for this difference may include fewer women in private practice and women holding positions of lesser rank in academia.…”

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“…A previous study pointed out that female physicians were less likely to specialize in surgery than males 4 . Moreover, the gaps in practice patterns and salaries between male and female physicians have also been documented by other studies [5][6][7][8][9][10] . Nevertheless, most studies evaluated surgeons in America and Europe, which are culturally different from Asian countries.…”

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“…US female surgeons were more likely to receive treatment for issues relating to their hands than males ( p = 0.028), citing instrument design (84%) and operating room table height (44%) as the cause of their symptoms [ 80 ]. In the US, female surgeons earned over $60,000 less per year than male surgeons after controlling for work hours, case volume, years in practice, practice setting and specialty (p < 0.001) [ 81 ].…”