More than three-quarters of female physicians have experienced income inequality or other forms of gender discrimination, according to a survey released this week by Merritt Hawkins, a physician search provider that is part of AMN Healthcare Services Inc. (NYSE: AMN). 

Of those female physicians who have experienced gender-based discrimination, 75% cited inappropriate words or actions directed toward them by fellow physicians, 57% have experienced inappropriate words or actions from managers or employers, and 56% have experienced lower compensation than male colleagues, according to the survey.

In addition, about 40% of female physicians said they currently earn less than male physicians in their specialty. When asked why, 73% said they received a smaller base salary and/or production bonus than their male colleagues. According to the report, this suggests that gender-based income disparities in medicine begin at the initial stages of a physician's career, when she is offered a first contract that may pay less than contracts offered to male counterparts.  

The survey also asked female physicians if gender discrimination has affected them in any way. About three-quarters of respondents, 73%, said gender discrimination has diminished their morale and career satisfaction.

Forty-four percent of female physicians surveyed said that gender discrimination has caused them to seek another practice setting, while 32% said it has caused them to consider early retirement. Given a growing shortage of physicians, patients can ill afford the early retirement of female doctors, according to Travis Singleton, executive VP of Merritt Hawkins. 

“Gender discrimination is more than just a challenge for individual doctors,” Singleton said. “When it diminishes the overall supply of physicians, it becomes a matter of public health.”

Merritt Hawkins' 2019 Survey of Women in Medicine included responses from 429 female physicians across the US.