Board rooms, courtrooms and operating rooms are no different than employee break rooms: women in all those rooms frequently earn less than men.
The pay gap for female physician professors is well documented. The Journal of the American Medical Association documented pay gaps of approximately $20,000/year between male and female physicians at public medical schools in a September 2016 report.
One brave doctor is standing up for female physicians at SIU School of Medicine (@SIUSOM) in Springfield, Illinois. According to plaintiff Dr. Sajida Ahad’s expert, SIU’s compensation data from 2010-2016 shows female physician professors received at least $12,000/year less annually than comparable males. Certain methods of analysis show that difference could be higher than $45,000/year. Those differences are statistically significant have less than a 1% chance of occurring absent gender playing a role. SIU’s expert claims no pattern exists, but even SIU’s expert found women were paid less in 6 of 7 departments at SIU.
Ultimately, whether SIU will be able to use its expert report remains to be seen. The parties await a decision on whether the Court will authorize notice of her lawsuit to SIU’s female physicians. A motion for class action status will be briefed later this year, and the Court will determine whether SIU improperly failed to disclose compensation information.
The Wood Law Office, LLC (@WooddLawLLC) is proud to represent Dr. Ahad, along with Michael Brown of DVG Law Partners LLC.