Women in Academic Medicine: Equal to Men, Except in Pay
This article focuses specifically on female professors of medicine. The author indicates that female professors earn $6,000-$13,000 compared to comparably qualified men. For female professors of medicine the gap is even wider - with women earning $15,000 a year less than similarly qualified males. This can work out to $230,000 in pay difference over a career. Why the pay discrepancy? I am sure you are all curious what the author attributed to pay differences.
In 2007 a survey was conducted of 3,080 randomly selected researchers in the life sciences at academic medical facilities. Participants were asked about their leadership positions, hours spent teaching, patient care, research, other professional responsibilities, and pay. "Across all ranks, women had fewer publications than men did." The results were that women worked less hours and conducted less research than men at the assistant professor level. At the full-professor level, women worked more hours than men, mainly on administrative tasks, and spent less time on research and patient care. Women participated in more committees, because committees have gender balance goals.
The article left me wanting. I basically am only able to conclude that more publication equals more pay. Is that accurate? Can that really account for such pay gaps?
I invite you to visit the article and read the comments section. The discussion is interesting. I will mention several themes found in the comments. Some took away that regardless of gender the key ingredient to higher pay raises is research. One commenter said that doing research early on means bigger raises in the beginning. Subsequent raises are a percentage of current earnings, so getting the jumpstart on research and raises can mean substantially greater earnings over a career.
Another poster said that he spent a great deal of time preparing a speech to explain how he is working harder than his colleagues and deserves a raise. He paced outside the dean's office, deciding if he should really go through with asking for a raise in an economic depression. In the end he did and was rewarded. He went on to mention his female colleague was also as deserving of a raise but did not spend the time preparing evidence of her contributions and argument for a raise. She also did not receive a raise. I take from this that perhaps some men are forward with supervisors about their compensation.
Another poster mentioned research by Linda Babcock and Sarah Laschever, Women Don't Ask. An exerpt from the book: "When Linda Babcock asked why so many male graduate students were teaching their own courses and most female students were assigned as assistants, her dean said: 'More men ask. The women just don't ask.'"
I have reservations that the two motifs presented here - publishing and asking, fully account for pay disparities, but perhaps we can take one thing away: we can save money on buying The Secret because the secret is to ask, ask, ask..... oh and maybe publish a bit.
-adam
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Adam,
ReplyDeleteWhat a ridiculous article. Why do people think they can explain away this discrepancy by way of coincidence? Of course it is not right or moral to pay someone less bases solely on their gender. Paying someone less for their certain position rank is more acceptable. However, I did not find any distinguishable differences to why these women would be paid less. The publication argument is weak because publications are not set at a certain number. To be sure, the more publications the better for promote ability. But these professors are holding the same rank; publications would only increase your rank, thus providing you with a higher salary. I do not think this argument holds water while each professor holds the same positional rank.
As far as "asking" is concerned; the argument grows weaker. The commenter maintains that just because men ask for raises more, they are awarded more? So, women do deserve the raise, but since they do not ask, the company gets to save money? Something does not add up.
Both of these arguments are explained by coincidence. It would be nice to believe that people are not really out there screwing people out of their money, but that it is merely a coincidence. Please! Read the writing on the wall, this flat out gender discrimination. It cannot be rationalized! It is the pervasiveness of the Good 'Ol Boys Club hard at work. Those with the power have no intention of giving it up, and little dents to the armor like these make sure others stay as far down the totem pole as possible.
Sad and mad this this blog has made me. Sad because as a middle aged person we are still facing wage differences. Sad because we seem to wash our hands, and can not solve it.
ReplyDeleteWe have extreams like Wal-Mart that by lwa now promote and pay men and women the same, or try to most of the time.
I think back to my Sister who made partner at a law office back in the 90's. She was the top billing person who made Partner that year. The rule was that the all new partners would have thier pay moved up to the pay of the top person making Partner. Any guesses on what the cost was to my sister who had take two one year breaks to have kids. Mind you she worked from home on those years off, she just did'nt go to trial where the big money was made. Sound like the publication vs, admin. topics in this blog. She wrote the briefs that help win a lot of the legal cases. Her big thanks for being a mom. She was under piad $28,000.00, from the man who kept working and had trial time.
As a woman, it is stuff like this that angers me. I shouldn't have to ask for the same pay as my male counterpart, it should be given to me if we are truly equals. And unfortunately, if we choose to take time off to have a family, we are not necessarily always welcomed back. Sucks.
ReplyDeleteIt sucks that men, generally the ones with the power, are continuing this gender discrimination and are not willing to give up a piece of their pie so that we all can have equal parts. As a woman, it is still disheartening to think that no matter how hard I work or what I do, I will always make less than my male peers.