More women join the physician workforce, however pay disparities remain
Facts at your Fingertips
By Emily Margosian, Assistant Editor, December 1, 2023
The face of medicine is changing. Results from Medscape’s 2022 “Physician Compensation Report” found that among specialties, pediatrics had the highest percentage of female physicians, followed by OB-GYN, endocrinology, and dermatology.
For the report, Medscape collected responses from more than 13,000 physicians across 29 specialties. Among the specialties surveyed, family medicine, internal medicine, oncology, and critical care experienced the most notable increase in female physicians over the past five years.
The report also found that pay gaps between male and female physicians persisted across every specialty. According to the report, male physicians in primary care earned 25% more than their female counterparts. Among specialists, the gap was more pronounced, with male specialists earning 31% more than their female colleagues. For a more detailed breakdown of gender distribution across medical specialties, see the graphic below.
