The $73k gender pay gap for doctors
Top male doctors are earning up to $73,000 more than their female colleagues each year, despite working the same hours and having the same job responsibilities, a Weekend Herald investigation reveals.
Exclusive new data also uncovers alarming disparities in the number of women in specialised medical roles.
New Zealand public hospitals employ nearly 1200 more senior male doctors compared with females, with women making up just a fraction of many highly paid medical positions.
Analysis of senior doctors shows 3459 are male and 2276 are female. While more than half of New Zealand’s medical graduates are women, only 6.5 per cent of orthopaedic surgeons are female.
Experts say the findings are evidence of alarming gender bias in medicine and highlight how women are being undervalued by our health system, hurting patient care.
National Party health spokesman Shane Reti has slated district health boards for “unacceptable” and “inappropriate” gender-based behaviour.
“This is a discussion that needs to be had across the whole system . . . DHBS need to explain their current gender imbalance and how they will address it,” Reti said.
Doctors and health experts spoken to by the Weekend Herald described a “boys’ club culture” pervading the New Zealand health system. They say the stark gender gap in medicine is just the “tip of the iceberg”.
Some female doctors had faced ingrained sexist attitudes, such as being labelled “hormonal” or “aggressive” when voicing strong opinions.
Most women interviewed did not want to be identified out of fear of losing their jobs.
Data obtained under the Official Information Act shows significant regional disparities, with Whanganui DHB recording the worst gender pay gap for senior doctors ($73,135), followed by Auckland DHB ($64,806).
The national average was $26,000.
Health Minister Andrew Little acknowledged the problem was wider than the pay gap and said work was under way to ensure growth of health leaders that were truly representative of the community they served.