Advancing Gender Equity in Medicine: Resources for physicians

The American Medical Association recognizes that gender inequity in medicine is a complex issue that requires a multilayered approach. Promoting gender equity in medicine requires an acknowledgement of the underlying causes of gender-based disparities, creation of policies and resources that will promote gender equity, and collaboration to improve the environment for women and the profession overall.

1. Principles for Advancing Gender Equity in Medicine

   1. The AMA policy, “Principles for Advancing Gender Equity in Medicine,” was adopted at the 2019 AMA Annual Meeting and outlines recommendations for achieving equity.

2. Policies on gender equity

   1. Use PolicyFinder to read the AMA’s positions and policies on gender equity. 

1. AMA principles will further gender equity among physicians

   1. Disparities persist after controlling for specialty and experience. Employers should review pay and promotion by gender for potentially discriminatory patterns.

2. Physicians adopt plan to combat pay gap in medicine

   1. Reports show pay disparities among male and female physicians after accounting for other factors. The AMA advocates a wide array of measures to address the issue.

3. Prioritizing Equity video series: Examining physician gender inequity in medicine

1. 3 misconceptions about what drives medicine’s gender pay gap

   1. Oft-told explanations of why male physicians earn more than their female counterparts overlook some key facts.

2. How surgical residents’ views on future earnings differ by gender

   1. Male and female general surgery residents have similar career goals, but what they expect to earn in their first salary after residency differs significantly.  

3. 3 ways to achieve gender equity in academic medicine promotions

   1. According to a JAMA Internal Medicine Viewpoint article, women physicians face a slower promotional timeline while also being less likely to reach associate or full professorship compared with their male counterparts. This article outlines considerations for promoting gender equity in professional advancement.

The AMA Code of Medical Ethics offers guidance to help physicians, medical students and all health care professionals address ethical challenges that arise in patient care:

1. Sexual harassment in the practice of medicine

2. Civil rights & medical professionals

3. Gender discrimination in medicine

1. Negotiation workshop for women in medicine

2. Tips for negotiating employment contracts

   1. Whether you are looking for your first job out of residency or have been practicing for years, negotiating your employment contract is important.

3. Physician contracting: Job duties and liability insurance

   1. Find out what you need to know before signing a physician employment contract. Read up on how to understand your compensation package and more.

4. Understanding employment contracts

   1. Learn from the AMA about negotiating your job duties as part of your employment contract, and also about liability insurance.

External resources to learn more about gender-based pay disparities.

1. Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009

   1. Review the Equal Pay Act of 1963, a U.S. labor law aimed at abolishing wage disparity based on gender from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
   2. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 is a law enacted by Congress that bolstered worker protections against pay discrimination.

2. State and local salary history bans

   1. This brief from the U.S. Department of Labor provides information on the history of equal pay legislation and policy in the U.S., an overview of the benefits of salary history bans, and principles for designing salary history bans and other policies that close the gender wage gap.