Structural barriers behind gender pay gap in medicine

An independent report has found that structural barriers are the main reason for pay disparities within the NHS, prompting the Health Secretary to pledge to tackle the gender pay gap among doctors.

The report found that the gender pay gap between men and women in medicine is highest for hospital doctors, with female doctors earning 18.9 per cent less an hour when adjusted for contracted hours. The report also found the disparity in medicine is considerably higher than other professions – the gap being two per cent for accountants and eight per cent for teachers.

The Department of Health and Social Care has said that the government will establish an Implementation Panel to help address the structural barriers outlined in the report, look at driving forward the review’s recommendations, with members including gender pay experts and representatives from across the health service. The structural barriers are most often a result of inflexible career and pay structures, which leads to pay penalties for lower levels of experience and less favourable career paths.

The report recommends reducing pay points within pay scales, so it takes less time for people to reach the top, and encourage greater pay transparency in general practice. The recommendations also include better promotion of flexible working, with jobs advertised as flexible unless there is a strong justification not to, and restructuring part-time training to focus on competency rather than time served, reducing disproportionate long-term career penalties for women who are more likely to go part time.

Minister for Care Helen Whately said: “Now more than ever, our NHS needs talented doctors providing top-quality care for patients and I thank Professor Dame Jane Dacre for her vital work. Making workplaces better for women is something I am passionate about. All too often women continue to face barriers that make it harder to succeed at work.

“We will all lose out if talented women feel unable to continue working in healthcare – promising carers ended early and vital expertise and experience lost at a time when we need it more than ever. I’m redoubling my efforts to work with the profession to remove the barriers stopping people from achieving their full potential. I want the NHS to be a truly diverse and inclusive employer.”