Study finds women anesthesiologists earn significantly less than men. Bias impacts compensation. Explore implications for practice equity.
There is a significant gender pay gap for U.S. anesthesiologists, according to a study published online Aug. 6 in Anesthesia & Analgesia.
Linda B. Hertzberg, M.D., from the Stanford University School of Medicine in California, and colleagues surveyed 2,081 physician members of the American Society of Anesthesiologists in 2018 to assess the association of compensation with gender and to identify possible causes of wage disparities.
The researchers found that the respondents represented a higher percentage of women and younger physicians versus the demographic makeup of U.S. anesthesiologists. However, women had 56 percent lower odds of being in a higher compensation range than men. Compared with men, the relative percentage difference in compensation for women ranged from −8.3 to −8.9. Using data from a subset of respondents (1,036 individuals) who provided a point estimate of compensation, the relative percentage difference (−8.3 percent) reflected a $32,617 lower compensation for women than men, when holding other covariates (age, hours worked, geographic practice region, practice type, and position) at their means.
“Bias, either explicit or implicit, persists and affects compensation for anesthesiologists,” the authors write.
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