Earnings Gap in Pediatric Field Persists, With Females Earning 93% of What Males Earn

Female pediatricians’ reported annual income in 2017 through 2022 was about 93% of males, an average difference of about $11,000 annually, according to a study published in the November 2024 Pediatrics. The study, “Differences in Pediatricians’ Income by Sex Over Time” (published online Oct. 29) found the difference persisted after adjusting for key factors where female and male pediatricians’ careers often differ, such as clinical focus choice and hours worked. Researchers drew survey data from a national longitudinal cohort study of pediatricians on pediatrician self-reported income across six years, funded by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Participation in the Pediatrician Life and Career Experience Study (PLACES) ranged from 83.6% in 2017 to 75.5% in 2022 (analytic n=1,251 71 in 2017; 1,077 in 2022). Unadjusted mean annual income in 2022 was $237,168; $220,374 for females and $284,286 for males. The authors observe that pediatrics has the highest percentage of female physicians compared with other physician groups, and that their findings are comparable to sex disparities found in other studies of U.S. workers in professional roles. Part-time hours are more common among female pediatricians and females are more likely than male pediatricians to practice general pediatrics, according to the study. The authors suggest more work to examine the trajectories of male and female earnings over the next several years, family obligations and work flexibility, and pediatrician’s income the first few years out of training.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.