Having kids leaves female GPs $100,000 worse off than men
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If you visit a male doctor who happens to have kids, spare a thought for his female counterpart in the surgery next door who could be earning $100,000 a year less than him.
And if the female GP happens to have no children, she may be earning up to $25,000 a year more than a woman doctor who does.
According to new research by health economist Tony Scott from the University of Melbourne, the pay of female doctors with children falls a long way short of that paid to male GPs with children – up to $105,000 short.
This is because mum doctors are working fewer hours than dad doctors, according to Scott, who's used the research to call for greater workplace flexibility for GPs.
"As more women become doctors, the impact of this on access to healthcare and healthcare costs is important for medical workforce policy," Professor Scott said.
"To maintain the participation of women in the medical workforce, medical training programs and medical jobs need to be made more flexible."
Published by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, the research was based on the experiences of 3,618 GPs surveyed between 2008 and 2009 as part of the Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) panel survey.
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