More than a decade into the 21st century, we have still not achieved gender equality in medicine. With the year drawing to a close, we reflect on some of the studies published in 2016 that have highlighted the gender gap in this field.
Women are well represented among medical school graduates. Yet, their career progression, pay, and research output is not equal to that of their male colleagues in many areas of medicine.
Several studies this year have investigated the gender inequalities in research, work-life balance, and pay for physicians.
The first of these is a female cardiologists' survey, which highlights differences in career decisions, family life, and job satisfaction.
In March of this year, Dr. Sandra Lewis, a cardiologist at Northwest Cardiovascular Institute in Portland, OR, and her colleagues reported the results of a Professional Life Survey (PLS) at the American College of Cardiology's 65th Annual Scientific Session.
The PLS followed on from two previous surveys conducted in 1996 and 2006.
In total, 794 women and 1,227 men completed the survey, which highlighted clear differences in many areas.
The vast data set was then adjusted for age, experience, specialty, faculty rank, research productivity, and clinical revenue. A clear pay gap of nearly $20,000 remained between men and women overall.
The average pay gap among cardiologists was approximately $34,000. Among oncologists, it was $36,000; among orthopedic surgeons, it was nearly $41,000. The only specialty that saw women earn more than men was radiology, with salaries being approximately $2,000 higher for women.
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