The gender wage gap among medical specialists: a quantitative analysis of the hourly pay of publicly employed senior doctors in New Zealand

Does gender still matter in the pursuit of a career in anaesthesia?

A survey sent to fellows of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) aimed to document issues affecting gender equity in the anaesthesia workplace. A response rate of 38% was achieved, with women representing a greater proportion of respondents (64.2%). On average women worked fewer hours than men and spent a larger percentage of time in public practice; however, satisfaction rates were similar between genders. There was a gender pay gap which could not be explained by the number of hours worked or years since achieving fellowship. The rates of bullying and harassment were high among all genders and have not changed in 20 years since the first gender equity survey by Strange Khursandi in 1998. Women perceived that they were more likely to be discriminated against particularly in the presence of other sources of discrimination, and highlighted the importance of the need for diversity and inclusion in anaesthetic workplaces. Furthermore, women reported higher rates of caregiving and unpaid domestic responsibilities, confirming that anaesthetists are not immune to the factors affecting broader society despite our professional status. The overall effect was summarised by half of female respondents reporting that they felt their gender was a barrier to a career in anaesthesia. While unable to be included in statistics due to low numbers, non-binary gendered anaesthetists responded and must be included in all future work. The inequities documented here are evidence that ANZCA's gender equity subcommittee must continue promoting and implementing policies in workplaces across Australia and New Zealand.

The Financial Implications of Being a Female Fellow: Does Another Year Help Close the Gap?

In 2018, the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons Compensation and Benefits Survey illustrated a wage gap between male and female doctors of podiatric medicine in the United States. The purpose of the present study was to assess if an additional year of fellowship training closes that gap. To calculate the net present value, weighted mean general income data from female doctors of podiatric medicine with and without fellowship training was obtained. Demographic and clinical income data (based on 2080 hours) for 17 female graduates from 14 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons recognized fellowship programs was collected using an anonymous online survey. Income from general payments was collected from manual searches of Open Source Payments. Socioeconomic data from the 2018 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons compensation and benefits survey was used to calculate the net present value of the nonfellowship trained doctors of podiatric medicine for comparison. Overall, the net present value of female doctors of podiatric medicine with and without fellowship training was $1.91 million and $2.4 million, respectively. The comparative net present value and cumulative net income difference over 30 years for female doctors of podiatric medicine with and without fellowships was -$492,159.00 and -$820,000.00, respectively. The mean comparative income difference for fellowship trained female doctors of podiatric medicine annually was as follows: clinical (-$26,082.00) and general (+$1101.54). Based on the data, with consideration to the limitations of the study, the financial implications of fellowship on the gender wage gap is currently unclear. Additional research is warranted.

Why are women still leaving academic medicine? A qualitative study within a London Medical School

OBJECTIVES

To identify factors that influenced women who chose to leave academic medicine.

DESIGN AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Independent consultants led a focus group of women in medicine who had left academia after completion of their postgraduate research degree at Imperial College London Faculty of Medicine. Thematic analysis was performed on the transcribed conversations.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Nine women physicians who completed a postgraduate degree (MD or PhD) at a large London Medical School and Academic Health Sciences Centre, Imperial College London, but did not go on to pursue a career in academic medicine.

RESULTS

Influences to leave clinical academia were summarised under eight themes-career intentions, supervisor support, institutional human resources support, inclusivity, work-life balance, expectations, mentors and role models, and pregnancy and maternity leave.

CONCLUSION

The women in our focus group reported several factors contributing to their decision to leave clinical academia, which included lack of mentoring tailored to specific needs, low levels of acceptance for flexible working to help meet parental responsibilities and perceived explicit gender biases. We summarise the multiple targeted strategies that Imperial College London has implemented to promote retention of women in academic medicine, although more research needs to be done to ascertain the most effective interventions.