Highlights
- •Gender, specialty, experience, h-index and location were predictors of salary.
- •Overall, female surgeons had lower salaries compared to male surgeons in the VHA.
- •Within each surgical specialty, there was no significant gender pay gap.
- •Women were underrepresented in higher-paying specialties, such as Orthopedics.
Abstract
Background
A gender pay gap has been reported across many professions, including medicine.
Methods
Surgeons employed at complex Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC) nationwide in
2016 were identified. Data on salary, gender, years since medical school graduation,
professorship status, h-index, and geographic location were collected.
Results
Of 1993 surgeons nationwide, 23% were female. On average, female surgeons had significantly
lower salaries compared to male surgeons ($268,429 ± 41,339 versus $287,717 ± 45,379,
respectively; p < 0.001). Among each surgical specialty, there were no significant
differences in salary on univariate analysis. Women were underrepresented in higher
paying specialties and more heavily represented in lower paying specialties. On multivariate
analysis, gender (p < 0.001), time since medical school graduation (p < 0.001), surgical
specialty (p = 0.031), h-index (p < 0.001), and geographic location (p < 0.001) were
significant predictors of salary.
Conclusion
Female gender significantly predicted lower salary among VAMC surgeons, however within
each surgical specialty, there was no significant gender pay gap.
Sentence summary
Independent predictors of salary included gender, surgical specialty, experience,
h-index, and geographic location. Although female surgeons had lower overall salaries
compared to male surgeons in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), there were
no significant gender differences in salary among each surgical specialty. Pay transparency,
unique to the VHA, along with the use of rational and objective criteria to establish
and adjust salaries, may play a role in reducing the gender pay gap among VHA surgeons.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 27, 2020
Accepted:
February 23,
2020
Received in revised form:
February 17,
2020
Received:
October 17,
2019
Identification
Copyright
Published by Elsevier Inc.
