A study published July 12 in JAMA Internal Medicine is raising concerns about the gender pay gap in healthcare. Survey data on academic physician salaries from the 2018 to 2019 Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Faculty Salary Report found significant salary disparities among women in internal medicine specialties despite the growing number of women pursuing internal medicine.
The study found that women were paid at least 90 percent of men’s median annual salary for 10 of 13 internal medicine specialties, but cardiology, gastroenterology, and critical/intensive care all demonstrated the larger gender pay disparities. Women were also found to have less representation in those three internal medicine specialties. Women were also less likely to hold higher ranks, such as professor, even though representation was nearly equal at the instructor and assistant ranks.