Women represent 1 of 3 physicians and surgeons but they earn only 69 cents for every dollar their male colleagues earn. Male physicians made $202,533 on average in 2013, while female doctors had a median income of $140,036 that year, according to new national data.
Only a few jobs in the financial sector and a few other occupational areas had a higher income difference between men and women than do physicians, reported the latest income data released Monday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The government's report broke down the median annual earnings of full-time workers by industry and job for 2013, part-time positions were excluded.
The difference in pay between male and female physicians has been documented elsewhere. Researchers analyzed data for JAMA Internal Medicine in 2013, finding that male physicians made more than $56,000 more a year than female counterparts.
But female doctors and surgeons were not alone among the healthcare population who continue to witness inequality in their paychecks.
Women now comprise a majority of the nation's pharmacists, earning about $111,800 annually on average, 93 cents for every dollar a male pharmacist makes. Almost 9 out of 10 registered nurses are women; they are paid 91 cents on the dollar compared with men in the same position. More than 84% of the 1.4 million nursing, psychiatric and home-health aides are women. Their paychecks represent 83% of men's earnings.
Similar gaps hold true for physician assistants, physical therapists and dozens of other healthcare jobs. Even women at the top are still making far less. About 1 in 4 CEOs across all industries are women, and they earn 76 cents for every dollar a male CEO makes.
There were only two healthcare jobs in which women's earnings were at least 97% of men's: massage therapists and dietitians/nutritionists.
Follow Bob Herman on Twitter: @MHbherman
