This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Two tier system creates 35 per cent gender pay gap
A study by the Institute for Public Policy Research has found that female GPs earn an average of £40,000 a year less than their male colleagues – one of the worst gender pay gaps for any profession.
On average, a male GP earns an estimated £110,000 a year while their female colleagues earn an estimated £70,000. For all NHS doctors, not just GPs, the gender pay gap is 17 per cent (the UK average is 16.2).
IPPR researchers blame the 35 per cent pay gap on a two-tier system in which more men choose to operate as private contractors with the NHS, running their practice as a business. A partner GP can earn around £109,000 a year on average, whilst a salaried GP earns on average £58,000 a year. The IPPR think tank says that this unequal distribution of men and women in partner and salaried contracts is a clear driver of unequal pay.
In fact, almost 80 per cent of male GPs are partners, compared with 50 per cent of women. GPs currently have the fifth largest pay gap of any profession in the country.
Chris Thomas, IPPR research fellow and lead author of the study, said: “The GP pay gap is a shocking indictment of the inequality in medicine, and society more widely. As it stands, the general practice pay gap is the equivalent of a woman GP working for free between the August bank holiday weekend and Christmas. The onus is on government to use their majority to make sure general practice works, fairly, for all our hard-working medical professionals.”
Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: "Women play an essential role in general practice and outnumber men in the GP workforce in England. In this respect, general practice is leading the way in gender equality – it's a real success story of the NHS. It is vital that women are not limited by glass ceilings and barriers - gender equality must be reflected across the entire profession, including within management and leadership positions, such as practice partnerships, and if such barriers are identified then they must be addressed."
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