Shifting Paradigms in Dermatology: Understanding Gender Wage Disparities in Dermatology Through Claudia Goldin's Research (Preprint)

Abstract

Wage differences between men and women are described. Dr. Claudia Goldin's 2023 Nobel prize improved our understanding regarding these observations. Here, we sought to evaluate wage differences within dermatology through the lens of Goldin's research. We hypothesized the presence of wage differences between men and women despite academic rank or leadership positions. AAMC survey data from 2022 demonstrated, women dermatologists comprised 36.95% (75/203) of full professors, 61.54% (152/247) of associate professors, and 63.47% (311/490) of assistant professors; among these 52.17% (12/23) were service chiefs and 35.48 % (22/62) were department chairs. The weighted mean salary was lower for women at all academic ranks and leadership roles; Division chiefs had the most significant (45.52%) wage difference between men and women. This is a $281,674 difference between men and women chiefs per year. Women earned $91,738.73 less on average/year when considering all academic positions. Limitations of this study include the sample size and the moment in time analysis. Questions evaluating direct causes for the observed differences were not seen in the AAMC survey. Future research should focus on capturing why this pattern occurs and how to improve it.