Gender Gap in Starting Doctor Pay Grows

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As a woman physician most of my career I have been paid less than my male colleagues. I have received many explanations - I spend too much time with the patients and thus see fewer patients per day; I see mostly women patients and their health care needs require more time, etc. I was also paid less than my male colleagues for the same work prior to my career in medicine. I did not expect gender pay inequities to magically disappear in medicine. However, even though physicians may be paid at a higher rate than many working people in America, that is not a rational reason for women to be paid less than men. The pay for physicians, no matter what the rate, will never compensate physicians for the life-long lack of sleep, responsibility, worry, medical-eithical dilemmas and decisions, phone calls, night work, long hours, sacrifices of spouses, children, and friends, and recurrent grief and sorrow at the loss of patients. It is the most spiritually rewarding work in the world and the most demanding work of all of one's mental, physical, psychological and spiritual abilities and resources. Thank God for the privilege of being a doctor, and I pray to have rest from being a doctor one day. The pay is only a small part of the picture.

Nancy Greenstreet, MD of CA 3:57PM February 04, 2011

Women are able to choose to be victims of salary or anything if they feel like it, able to choose to be superior due to biology and it is sexist to argue against it, able to choose to get pregnant by lying about birth control, able to us the legal system to convert the father into a child-support check, able to dictate child rearing, able to accuse a man of violence without being questioned(even though among younger couples the violence against each other is about equal), able to dictate how 80% of household income is spent whether they make more or not, able to use the many social safety-nets that are female specific, able to work in secure occupations regardless of pay and be socially acceptable (95% of primary teacher are female, nurses are vastly female), do not have to sign up for selective service, receive the largest sentencing discount (even more than Caucasians get over racial minorities),able to choose ...............
BTW, it's amusing the this discrepancy in wage is a fraction of the supposed wage gap that women claim to be a VICTIM of, so there must be huge gaps in other occupations right? I know Hillary used a wage gap calculator on her website when she was running for president so it must be true.
Women are very privileged and take it for granted.

Michaelquerty of LA 5:40AM February 04, 2011

Many existing laws and regulations apply specifically to pregnant women. Several provisions of the Affordable Care Act offer new benefits for expecting mothers. Search online for "Wise Health Insurance" if you need affordable insurance for yourself or your wife.

dichack of CA 11:28PM February 03, 2011

yeah, right. Why do we not believe you and your 'empowerment' story? Maybe because of your annoying and emotionally immature tendency to write in ALL CAPS like a high school kid? Probably. Anyway, nowadays if anyone complains about pay or anything else at work, they find the squeaky wheel doesn't always get greased, it just gets replaced. Keep on complaining, and EPCA and you soon find yourself without a job and that job will get shipped overseas where they pay far less money. So these days the name of the game like it or not is put up or shut up.

workingclassgirl of CA 7:24PM February 03, 2011

Doctors, regardless of gender, STILL make waaay more money that the vast majority of people. They won't get any sympathy from me as I've never made more than $30K a year in my entire life, and more than likely never will!

Sabrina of OR 7:17PM February 03, 2011

Those doctors STILL make waaaay more money than a lot of people...so I got no sympathy for 'em.

Sabrina of OR 7:15PM February 03, 2011

Forgive me if I don't spend my time worrying about women (or men) making $174,000 per year. That's still way, way more than other people, men or women, make with doctoral degrees in the sciences and in other technical fields.

BillyD1953 of MO 6:56PM February 03, 2011

Nan of CA, you are correct, but I don't think women are STUCK with more to do at home. Women naturally lean toward care giving and nurturing activities. I don't think this makes women inferior, less necessary or less intelligent. Quite on the contrary - I believe women are gifted with the wisdom to choose to have a career which grants a greater work/life balance. I think (and have no real research base) that women as a whole have proved themselves and that now we are getting back to where we are naturally drawn - with our lives in a healthy balance. After all, don't we still outlive men by an average of 10 years?

Carly of VA 5:48PM February 03, 2011

While I’m sure the pay gap in many unskilled professions remains large because of chauvinistic tendencies, this study screams “poorly designed”. They should have controlled for the number of hours worked to get a better idea of the compensation per hour. It would be interesting to see how much this gap would shrink if a proper study were performed. As for the previous poster, who spoke of male privilege, I can honestly say she does not know what she’s talking about.
Men are held to a higher standard under the law, are not usually allowed to defend themselves against a female assailant, are not considered to have a say at all in the life of their child unless the woman decides to carry it to term and even then his only right is to pay for it. Men must register for the draft, die when their country decides it, endure a lower life expectancy due to longer work hours and more stress, and in the face of this responsibility must also tolerate the childishness of spoiled middle class brats who have nothing better to do than complain about how the “patriarchy is oppressing” them. If you’re being oppressed, you need to stop whining and start working.

Davison of ID 5:39PM February 03, 2011

WOMEN NEED TO SPEAK UP AND DEMAND EQUAL PAY AND IF THEY ARE NOT ACCOMMODATED, THEY NEED TO SUE FOR GENDER DISCRIMINATION!
I COMPLAINED AND MY BOSS RECTIFIED THE SITUATION AND I GET PAID EXACTLY WHAT THE MEN GET PAID!
SPEAK UP AND STAND UP FOR YOURSELVES, LADIES!

EQUAL PAY of CA 5:36PM February 03, 2011