News: Female physicians faced with 26% gender pay gap in 2024, data shows

Female physicians earn less than their male counterparts in all specialties, even after accounting for specialty, location, and years of experience according to a new study, HealthLeaders reported.

The annual Doximity study, entitled the “Physician Compensation Report 2025,” found that the average compensation for male physicians rose 5.7% in 2024 and 1.7% for females; however, the overall gender pay gap returned to 26%, matching the gap reported in 2022.

Compensation data was drawn from approximately 230,000 survey responses over six years, including more than 37,000 U.S. physician responses in 2024. The study also incorporates thousands of physician responses to additional surveys and polls fielded throughout 2024 and 2025.

Here are some of the highlights from the report:

• The largest gender pay gaps were seen in hematology and oncology (93% pay gap).
• More than 90% of 1,200 pediatricians say “reimbursements are interfering with early intervention and prevention in pediatric care.”
• The majority of respondents (87%) do not believe that “reimbursement levels adequately align with the needs and complexity of today's pediatric population.”
• Amongst about 1,100 various specialists surveyed in June, nearly 60% said reimbursement pressures will “affect care for Medicare / Medicaid patients in the next 12 months.”

Editor’s note: To read the HealthLeaders summary, click here. To read the Doximity report in full, click here.