Crucial Report Proves Female Doctors Paid Less — And No, It’s Not Because Of “Lifestyle Choices”

1:00 pm, June 13th | by Amy Tennery

This just in the Department Of No Kidding, Really? A new study shows that female doctors and researchers are paid less than their male counterparts.

My God. Do you think that maybe this happens in other career fields too?

Okay, I’ll cut the sarcasm — mostly because this new study could go a long way to back up what’s a commonly held truth among women: Gender pay inequity is real.

The report, carried out by the University of Michigan, asked 800 different doctor-researchers to answer questions regarding their salaries, ages, levels of seniority, hours worked and so on. And, not surprisingly to some of us, the study found that female doctors and researchers in the U.S. make $12,000 less annually than male doctors and researchers.

Now, before you cry “extenuating circumstances!” keep this in mind: The report also found that differentials like hours worked and “life choices” (the clinical term for “babies,” methinks) aren’t to blame for the pay gap. In fact, researchers arrived at the $12,000 figure after accounting for outlying factors that could have artificially tipped the scales (the unadjusted gap was $32,000). And while female doctors responding to the University of Michigan survey did, on the whole, work fewer hours and move into lower-paying fields than men, this only accounted for some of the wage gap. That inexplicable $12,000 remained, even after other variables were measured.

Lead researcher Dr. Reshma Jagsi told Reuters in no uncertain terms that this $12,000 pay gap has nothing to do with women’s “life choices” — and that this is a big problem:

“Disturbingly, even after we controlled for all those other factors, we found that male doctors were paid more than female doctors for doing the same work.”

I don’t want to sound like a broken record but, let’s reiterate: The male doctors were paid more “for doing the same work.”

To anyone whose watched frustrating pay inequity deniers swear up and down that gender pay discrimination isn’t real, this report is eminently gratifying. It debunks the most cherished counter argument that the pay gap “truthers” (so to speak) have: That women are paid less because of the choices they make — and not because of systemic problems.

And while “women get into low-paying careers!” has long been the rallying cry for pay gap non-believers, this report shows that even within the highest paying fields (like, say, medicine), the oh-so-stubborn salary discrepancy remains.

Ladies, it’s not your fault. Spread the word.

TAGS: gender pay gap | women doctors paid less

http://twitter.com/NoMazzNoMazz Hey Thatsme

I just cringe, though, when I hear attempts about trying to legislate equal pay, because in very, very few jobs that I’ve been associated with are my responsibilities EXACTLY like the next person’s — even when we are in “similar” positions. Each person brings their own strengths to the table.

Should you get paid EXACTLY what Laura gets paid at Abrams, or should we assume that you each interviewed and were made offers based upon what they thought you could do to grow the company? Should you get paid EXACTLY what Tommy Christopher or Noah gets paid on the main Mediaite site? See the problem?

Should a female physician with 10 years experience make the same as a male physician with 25 years of experience, even though they are working in the same field?

Of course, you can reverse these scenarios, too. I think Mika from Morning Joe said it best, when she said that part of the income inequality issue is that women diminish their own value in the workplace; that they don’t insist on getting paid what they are worth. Part of that is old cultural norms where women aren’t expected to be assertive, etc. But that has to be handled on the women’s side, themselves, not a legislative fix.

Legislation to enforce stuff like this just ends up looking like preferences based upon a class, and that essentially reinforces that one particular class of individual needs artificial boosting because they are unable to do it, themselves. Ugh. People resent that.

Women need to assert themselves in this regard. Let’s face it; we certainly can’t say that it’s only MEN who are determining salaries in the workplace for new hires. I’m sure there are plenty of women in positions of decision-making who are part and parcel of the process.

There’s an old sales maxim that says “If you don’t ask, you don’t get”. Ladies — you need to ask.
Anonymous

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