In 2021, there was a 28 percent gender pay gap between male and female physicians. In 2022, it fell to 26 percent — but the cost is still significant, according to Doximity’s 2023 Physician Compensation Report.
To craft the report, Doximity — a networking service for medical professionals — tracked trends in physician pay nationwide. More than 80 percent of physicians are members, giving Doximity one of the largest physician compensation data sets in the U.S. Its tech-enabled healthcare staffing firm, Curative Talent, assisted on the report.
Analysts determined that, on average, female physicians earn nearly $110,000 less per year than their male counterparts. Doximity estimates that over the course of a career, male physicians make $2 million more than female physicians.
The gap cannot be attributed to women’s choice in specialties, as it is visible within the same specialty areas, too.
Here are the physician specialties with the largest and smallest gender pay gaps in 2022, according to Doximity:
Specialties with the largest gender pay gaps:
1. Oral and maxillofacial surgery
Men: $568,789
Women: $395,687
Gap: $173,102
2. Urology
Men: $515,850
Women: $424,733
Gap: $91,117
3. Ophthalmology
Men: $468,515
Women: $387,295
Gap: $81,220
4. Allergy and immunology
Men: $329,634
Women: $268,938
Gap: $60,696
5. Pediatric pulmonology
Men: $282,272
Women: $227,958
Gap: $54,314
Specialties with the smallest gender pay gaps:
1. Nuclear medicine
Men: $394,231
Women: $382,431
Gap: $11,800
2. Pediatric gastroenterology
Men: $293,771
Women: $264,135
Gap: $29,636
3. Medicine/pediatrics:
Men: $283,034
Women: $253,019
Gap: $30,015
4. Pediatric cardiology
Men: $334,384
Women: $303,622
Gap: $30,762
5. Hematology:
Men: $358,736
Women: $320,938
Gap: $37,798
