Unequal Pay for Equal Work: Where Are We Now?
Authors: Milda R. Saunders, Barbara J. Turner
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2018)

Editorials6 November 2018Unequal Pay for Equal Work: Where Are We Now?Milda R. Saunders, MD, MPH and Barbara J. Turner, MD, MSEdMilda R. Saunders, MD, MPHUniversity of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois (M.R.S.)Search for more papers by this author and Barbara J. Turner, MD, MSEdUniversity of Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California (B.J.T.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M18-1879 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The salary gap between women and men in the medical profession has long been an unfortunate, unconscionable norm. A 2004 editorial in Annals lamented that elusive unmeasured factors contribute to this phenomenon because it persists even after many obvious ones (for example, hours worked, specialty, job responsibilities, and academic productivity) are taken into account (1). The Equal Pay Act of 1963 made paying different wages to women and men who perform equal work illegal. Yet, lower compensation for women in medicine persists a half century later and many studies of physician compensation refute the argument that women do not perform ...References1. Laine C, Turner BJ. Unequal pay for equal work: the gender gap in academic medicine [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 2004;141:238-40. [PMID: 15289226] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Association of American Medical Colleges. Active physicians by sex and specialty, 2015. 2018. Accessed at www.aamc.org/data/workforce/reports/458712/1-3-chart.html on 7 July 2018. Google Scholar3. Read S, Butkus R, Weissman A, Moyer DV. Compensation disparities by gender in internal medicine. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169:658-61. doi:10.7326/M18-0693 LinkGoogle Scholar4. Butkus R, Serchen J, Moyer DV, Bornstein SS, Hingle ST; Health and Public Policy Committee of the American College of Physicians. Achieving gender equity in physician compensation and career advancement: a position paper of the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2018;168:721-3. [PMID: 29710100]. doi:10.7326/M17-3438 LinkGoogle Scholar5. Lo Sasso AT, Richards MR, Chou CF, Gerber SE. The $16,819 pay gap for newly trained physicians: the unexplained trend of men earning more than women. Health Aff (Millwood). 2011;30:193-201. [PMID: 21289339] doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0597 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Loudenback T. More tech companies have stopped keeping employee salaries secret—and they're seeing results. Business Insider. 3 May 2017. Accessed at www.businessinsider.com/why-companies-have-open-salaries-and-pay-transparency-2017-4 on 9 July 2018. Google Scholar7. Henly J. ‘Equality won't happen by itself': how Iceland got tough on gender pay gap. The Guardian. 20 February 2018. Accessed at www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/20/iceland-equal-pay-law-gender-gap-women-jobs-equality on 10 July 2018. Google Scholar8. Kolb DM. Too bad for the women or does it have to be? Gender and negotiation research over the past twenty-five years. Negotiation Journal. 2009;25:515-31. CrossrefGoogle Scholar9. Amanatullah ET, Morris MW. Negotiating gender roles: gender differences in assertive negotiating are mediated by women's fear of backlash and attenuated when negotiating on behalf of others. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2010;98:256-67. [PMID: 20085399] doi:10.1037/a0017094 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Jagsi R, Jones RD, Griffith KA, Brady KT, Brown AJ, Davis RD, et al. An innovative program to support gender equity and success in academic medicine: early experiences from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169:128-30. [PMID: 29554690]. doi:10.7326/M17-2676 LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois (M.R.S.)University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California (B.J.T.)Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M18-1879.Corresponding Author: Barbara J. Turner, MD, MSEd, Gehr Center for Health Systems Science, Keck School of Medicine, 2020 Zonal Drive, IRD Room 112, Los Angeles, CA 90033; e-mail, Barbara.[email protected]usc.edu.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Saunders: University of Chicago Medical Center, Section of Internal Medicine, 5841 South Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637.Dr. Turner: Gehr Center for Health Systems Science, Keck School of Medicine, 2020 Zonal Drive, IRD Room 112, Los Angeles, CA 90033.This article was published at Annals.org on 7 August 2018. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoCompensation Disparities by Gender in Internal Medicine Susan Read , Renee Butkus , Arlene Weissman , and Darilyn V. Moyer Metrics Cited byGender equity in academic rheumatology, current status and potential for improvement: a cross-sectional study to inform an EULAR task forceUnderrepresentation and undertreatment of women in hematology: An unsolved issueEqual pay for equal work: Disparities in compensation in vascular surgeryThe pursuit of unprofessional social media behavior through unprofessional methodsAssessment of Gender Differences in Clinical Productivity and Medicare Payments Among Otolaryngologists in 2017The Business Case for Diversity and InclusionIsolation, Lack of Mentorship, Sponsorship, and Role ModelsA Structured Compensation Plan Results in Equitable Physician Compensation 6 November 2018Volume 169, Issue 9Page: 654-655KeywordsAcademic medicineDisclosureForecastingGraduate medical educationHospitalistsInterleukinsRacial and ethnic issuesSexual identitySub-specialty careSurvey research ePublished: 7 August 2018 Issue Published: 6 November 2018 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2018 by American College of Physicians. 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