Female physician-scientists are paid much less than their male counterparts, researchers found, with a salary difference that over the course of a career could pay for a college education, a spacious house or a retirement nest egg.
To get the fairest comparison, the study authors took into account work hours, academic titles, medical specialties, age and other factors that influence salaries. They included only doctors who were involved in research at U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals, all at the same stage in their careers. And they still found men’s average yearly salaries were at least $12,000 higher than women’s.
Over a 30-year career, that adds up to more than $350,000.
The results are sobering and “disappointing,” said lead author Dr. Reshma Jagsi, a breast-cancer radiation specialist and researcher at the University of Michigan. “I think we have much work to do.”
Why the big disparity? Two women who have been prominent in medical research say this: Men tend to be more aggressive at self-promoting and asking for pay raises than women.
“Male faculty members are willing to negotiate more aggressively. It may be social and cultural. It seems to be fairly deep-rooted,” said Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School.
