Every year, after Medscape releases the Physician Compensation Report, readers write in with their theories about what's causing the gender pay gap seen in our data.
To many, it's a no-brainer: Some hospitals, institutions, and medical groups pay women less just because they're women. Others argue that gender discrimination is an easy scapegoat and it's not the big factor that it's made out to be.
In our 2019 report, male primary care physicians earned $258,000 to women's $207,000; male specialists earned $372,000 to women's $280,000. The gender pay disparity has shown up in every report since Medscape began producing it in 2011.
Each year, we have looked deeper into our data in an effort to identify relevant factors. This year, we looked at even more factors, filtered data differently, and explored whether our readers' theories had some validity.
Here's what some of you have suggested is responsible for the gender pay gap and what our data show.
1. Part-time vs Full-time
After our 2012 report showed a large pay disparity, some readers suggested that more women than men work part-time, so that's why men's earnings are higher. (In 2012: $242,000 for male specialists vs $173,000 for female specialists; $174,000 vs $141,000 in primary care.)
