Salary Equity among Male and Female Internists in Pennsylvania

18 July 2000 | Volume 133 Issue 2 | Pages 104-110

Background: Women constitute an increasing proportion of physicians in the United States. Historically, inequities have existed between male and female physicians in professional advancement, but evidence has suggested that disparities in salary are resolving.

Objective: To examine the current state of salary equity among male and female internists.

Design: Population-based survey mailed to all Board-certified female internists and a matched group of male internists who had graduated from medical school 10 to 30 years ago and were currently practicing.

Setting: Pennsylvania.

Participants: 232 male and 213 female internists for whom data were complete.

Measurements: Respondents answered questions about demographic characteristics, training, practice type and setting, status within the practice, family life, and salary.

Results: Women were more likely to be involved in the least lucrative practice arrangements. They were more likely to be in low-paying specialties, to not be a partner in the practice, and to be salaried employees; they also spent fewer hours per week seeing patients. Even after adjustment for these differences, hourly earnings were significantly higher (14%) among men than among their female colleagues. Men's earnings significantly exceeded women's earnings among physicians with no academic affiliation, those in high-earning specialties, and those in general internal medicine.

Conclusions: Significant salary differentials exist between male and female internists overall and in various medical practice settings.

Author and Article Information

From Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and St. Francis Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and St. Vincent's Health Center, Erie, Pennsylvania.

Grant Support: In part by a grant from the American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine, Pennsylvania Chapter.

Acknowledgments: The authors thank Dr. Bruce Thomas, Governor of the Western Region Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine, for supporting and securing funding for this study and for his comments on the manuscript; Janet Bickel for lending her authority to enhancing participation; and Ruth Falik, MD, Jan Brydon, MD, Diann Westrick, MD, members of the Women's Committee of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine, for their input regarding survey design. They also thank Debby Bass, MS, for assisting with data analyses and Lori Burleigh for technical support.

Requests for Single Reprints: Roberta B. Ness, MD, MPH, University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health, 130 DeSoto Street, 517 Parran Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15261; e-mail, repro{at}vms.cis.pitt.edu.

Requests To Purchase Bulk Reprints (minimum, 100 copies): the Reprints Coordinator; phone, 215-351-2657; e-mail, reprints{at}mail.acponline.org.

Current Author Addresses: Drs. Ness, Ukoli, Kiely, and Belle: University of Pittsburgh, 130 DeSoto Street, 513 Parran Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15261.

Dr. Hunt: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.

Dr. McNeil: Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University Drive C, Pittsburgh, PA 15240.

Dr. Richardson: St. Francis Medical Center, 400 45th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201.

Dr. Weissbach: St. Vincent's Health Center, 2314 Sassafras Street, Suite 310, Erie, PA 16502.

Author Contributions: Conception and design: R.B. Ness, F. Ukoli, S. Hunt, S. Kiely, M.A. McNeil, V. Richardson, N. Weissbach, S.H. Belle.

Analysis and interpretation of the data: R.B. Ness, F. Ukoli, S. Hunt, S. Kiely, M.A. McNeil, V. Richardson, N. Weissbach, S.H. Belle.

Drafting of the article: R.B. Ness, F. Ukoli, S. Hunt, S. Kiely, M.A. McNeil, V. Richardson, N. Weissbach, S.H. Belle.

Critical revision of the article for important intellectual content: R.B. Ness, S. Kiely.

Final approval of the article: R.B. Ness, F. Ukoli, S. Hunt, S. Kiely, M.A. McNeil, V. Richardson, N. Weissbach, S.H. Belle.

Statistical expertise: R.B. Ness, S.H. Belle.

Obtaining of funding: R.B. Ness.

Administrative, technical, or logistic support: R.B. Ness.

Collection and assembly of data: R.B. Ness.