theyhave similar hours, titles and specialties, according to new
American research.
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Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System and Duke
University conducted an analysis that found male doctors earn
about$12,000 more a year thanfemale physicians. The findings were
published Wednesday in the Journalof the American Medical Association.
"The gender pay disparitywe found in this highly talented and select
groupof physicians was sobering," Reshma Jagsi, associate professor of
radiation oncology at the University of Michigan Medical School and
lead author of the study said in a press release .
The researchers surveyed about 800 doctors who had received
competitive grants early in their careers from the U.S. National
Institutes of Health. Doing, allowing researchers to examine a pool of
similarly motivated and talented physicians.
The results showed that, on average, male doctors earned about
$200,400 a year, while female physicians earned about$167,600. Some of
the differences are explained by differences in medical specialty,
with men goinginto fields that traditionally pay more. For instance,
studies show men are more likely to choose cardiology, which typically
pays high amounts, while women are more likely to opt for the
less-lucrative pediatrics. When those differences were factored in,
the overall pay gap between men and women was about$12,000, the
researchers said.
Over a 30-year career, that difference would addup to about $360,000.
Why the difference?
The Associated Press spoke to two women in the medical field who
believe a big factor is the fact men are simply better at
self-promotion and pushing for more money.
"Male faculty members are willing to negotiate more aggressively. It
maybe social and cultural. It seems to be fairly deep-rooted," JoAnn
Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital,
told the Associated Press.
Of course, the issue isn't just limited to the medical profession. Pay
inequality has been the subject of debate for years, and could become
an issue in the 2012 U.S. presidential election. One of the biggest
reasons researchers point to in the gender pay-inequality gap is the
fact many women interrupt their careers to have children.
Is there any solution to the persistent problem of pay inequality
between men and women?