Minding the Gap: Investigating the Gender Wage Gap in Otolaryngology

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM EDT

Location: MBCC, 214-215

CME/MOC Credit: 1

Disclosure(s):

Sandra Y. Lin, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Katie M. Phillips, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Female doctors make less than their male counterparts starting from their very first days on the job – which over a 40-year-career can add to up an estimated $2 million. While the problem has been recognized for many years, little progress toward equity has been made and women physicians continue to make far less than their male counterparts. A particularly poignant way of thinking about this issue was highlighted in the Wall Street Journal which stated that women physicians effectively start working for free on September 8th each year when compared to their male colleagues. The field of otolaryngology is no exception. The Doximity compensation report for 2020 highlights otolaryngology has having the highest wage gap by gender of all surveyed specialties, an average $493,888 per year for men vs $384,983 per year for women, a whopping 22% less, over $100,000/year. This gap is further exemplified in the recent AAO-HNS Otolaryngology Workforce Survey where male otolaryngologists were 2.373 times as likely to be in the higher range of clinical salary ($525,000-1,000,000) relative to women otolaryngologists. This disparity does not include extra income related to ancillary and call income which we find is also higher in male versus female otolaryngologists. We therefore aim to explore, discuss and propose mitigation measures to understand and improve the salary discrepancy.

Learning Objectives:

Identify findings within recently published research and the AAO-HNS Otolaryngology Workforce Survey which contribute to the pay gender gap.
Discuss strategies to mitigate factors which contribute to the pay discrepancy among gender within otolaryngology.
Propose actionable steps and polices to systemically close this gap within the field of otolaryngology.

Panelist(s)

Sandra Y. Lin, MD

Professor and Chair of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery
University of Wisconsin
Madison, WI, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
RL

Robin W. Lindsay, MD

Associate Professor of Otolaryngology
Harvard Medical School / Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
Winchester, Massachusetts, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
Marisa R. Buchakjian, MD, PhD

Clinical Assistant Professor
University of Michigan, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Ann Arbor, MI, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.

Moderator(s)

Katie M. Phillips, MD

Assistant Professor
University of Cincinnati - Dept of Otolaryngology
Cincinnati, OH, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.