title: Work Activities and Compensation of Male and Female Cardiologists.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Much remains unknown about experiences, including working activities and pay, of women in cardiology, which is a predominantly male specialty.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The goal of this study was to describe the working activities and pay of female cardiologists compared with their male colleagues and to determine whether sex differences in compensation exist after accounting for differences in work activities and other characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  The personal, job, and practice characteristics of a national sample of practicing cardiologists were described according to sex. We applied the Peters-Belson technique and multivariate regression analysis to evaluate whether gender differences in compensation existed after accounting for differences in other measured characteristics. The study used 2013 data reported by practice administrators to MedAxiom, a subscription-based service provider to cardiology practices. Data regarding cardiologists from 161 U.S. practices were included, and the study sample included 2,679 subjects (229 women and 2,450 men).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women were more likely to be specialized in general/noninvasive cardiology (53.1% vs. 28.2%), and a lower proportion (11.4% vs. 39.3%) reported an interventional subspecialty compared with men. Job characteristics that differed according to sex included the proportion working full-time (79.9% vs. 90.9%; p < 0.001), the mean number of half-days worked (387 vs. 406 days; p = 0.001), and mean work relative value units generated (7,404 vs. 9,497; p < 0.001) for women and men, respectively. Peters-Belson analysis revealed that based on measured job and productivity characteristics, the women in this sample would have been expected to have a mean salary that was $31,749 (95% confidence interval: $16,303 to $48,028) higher than that actually observed. Multivariate analysis confirmed the direction and magnitude of the independent association between sex and salary.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Men and women practicing cardiology in this national sample had different job activities and salaries. Substantial sex-based salary differences existed even after adjusting for measures of personal, job, and practice characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Electronic address: rjagsi@med.umich.edu.
authors.forename: Reshma
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jagsi
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Management of Illinois, Woodridge, Illinois.
authors.forename: Cathie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Biga
authors.affiliation: Rhode Island Hospital/Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
authors.forename: Athena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Poppas
authors.affiliation: Seton Heart Institute, University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, Texas.
authors.forename: George P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Rodgers
authors.affiliation: St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana, Indianapolis, Indiana.
authors.forename: Mary N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.affiliation: MedAxiom, Neptune Beach, Florida.
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Colleen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McKendry
authors.affiliation: MedAxiom, Neptune Beach, Florida.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sasson
authors.affiliation: Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Phillip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Schulte
authors.affiliation: Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Pamela S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Douglas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002309:Cardiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D010559:Personnel Management / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D010822:Physicians, Women / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance
keywords: cardiology; job; profession; salary; sex