Gender differences in salary in a recent cohort of early-career physician-researchers.
OBJECTIVE
Studies have suggested that male physicians earn more than their female counterparts. The authors examined whether this disparity exists in a recently hired cohort.


METHODS
In 2010-2011, the authors surveyed recent recipients of National Institutes of Health (NIH) mentored career development (i.e., K08 or K23) awards, receiving responses from 1,275 (75% response rate). For the 1,012 physicians with academic positions in clinical specialties who reported salary, they constructed linear regression models of salary considering gender, age, race, marital status, parental status, additional doctoral degree, academic rank, years on faculty, specialty, institution type, region, institution NIH funding rank, K award type, K award funding institute, K award year, work hours, and research time. They evaluated the explanatory value of spousal employment status using Peters-Belson regression.


RESULTS
Mean salary was $141,325 (95% confidence interval [CI] 135,607-147,043) for women and $172,164 (95% CI 167,357-176,971) for men. Male gender remained an independent, significant predictor of salary (+$10,921, P < .001) even after adjusting for specialty, academic rank, work hours, research time, and other factors. Peters-Belson analysis indicated that 17% of the overall disparity in the full sample was unexplained by the measured covariates. In the married subset, after accounting for spousal employment status, 10% remained unexplained.


CONCLUSIONS
The authors observed, in this recent cohort of elite, early-career physician-researchers, a gender difference in salary that was not fully explained by specialty, academic rank, work hours, or even spousal employment. Creating more equitable procedures for establishing salary is important.
Dr. Jagsi is associate professor, Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Mr. Griffith is statistician expert, Center for Cancer Biostatistics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dr. Stewart is professor, Department of Psychology, Women's Studies Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ms. Sambuco is research area specialist intermediate, Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ms. DeCastro is research area specialist intermediate, Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dr. Ubel is professor, Fuqua School of Business, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
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D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010820:Physicians / Q000191:economics*; D010822:Physicians, Women / Q000191:economics; D012108:Research Personnel / Q000191:economics*; D012109:Research Support as Topic; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors