Women in primary care earn less than men

Experts stop short of calling it gender discrimination.

By Myrle Croasdale, AMNews staff. July 23/30, 2007.

Female primary care physicians make 22% less than their male counterparts, even after adjusting for differences in practice and personal characteristics, according to a report from the Center for Studying Health System Change.

Ha T. Tu, co-author of the report, found that female primary care physicians' salaries lagged behind inflation and that the income difference between male and females was widening -- from 16% in 1995 to 22% in 2003.

"Is there gender discrimination going on? I don't feel comfortable with that conclusion," Tu said. Clearly, though, she said, something is at work.

The income adjustments she and her co-author made included specialty, years of experience, board certification, international medical graduate status, average hours worked, practice setting, proportion of Medicaid and capitated revenue, and practice ownership status. However, there may be other factors that could translate into income differences, Tu said.

Edward Salsberg, director of the Assn. of American Medical Colleges' Center for Workforce Studies, also hesitated to cite gender discrimination for the pay difference.

Female physicians may be trading income for positions with greater flexibility, he said, citing data from an AAMC survey of physicians younger than 50. The survey found most female physicians have life partners who work full time, while the majority of male physicians do not. Perhaps, Salsberg suggested, these women do not feel as pressured to bring home a big paycheck. The survey also found that female doctors put a high value on personal life and lifestyle, another reason they may be making choices that swap income for more flexibility.