Female surgery residents expect less in salaries than their male counterparts

A small survey of general surgery residents finds that women asked to predict how much they will earn as surgeons came up with a smaller salary than men did. Researchers surveyed more than 400 residents from 19 general surgery programs around the U.S. and found that women residents, on average, had a minimum starting salary expectation that was about $20,000 less than what their male counterparts expected. When it came to an ideal starting salary, female residents expected about $30,000 less than male residents. Some 19% of female residents thought they had the tools to negotiate their salaries, compared to nearly a third of male residents. Women and men’s overall career goals did not differ, however: Similar numbers said they aspire to leadership positions and to pursue research or academic careers.