More gender diversity in a workplace could also help reduce wage gaps

Medical practices with less gender diversity also have larger pay gaps between male and female physicians, according to new research. Analyzing data from nearly 19,000 physicians, scientists found that males in non-surgical practices were paid around $37,000 more in practices whose makeup was 50% or fewer male doctors. That gap was nearly $92,000 in offices where 90% or more of physicians were male. Among surgical specialties, male-dominated practices paid their male doctors nearly $150,000 more, while the wage difference in practices that had a more even representation between male and female doctors was around $47,000. The differences could be explained by bias against women in exclusively male practices, the authors suggest, or by how much salary bargaining power female physicians may have in non-diverse work environments or even the number of patient referrals they may get in male-dominated offices.