More Income for Male Physicians; Findings About Salary Differences Between Male and Female Iranian Physicians

Background: In recent decades, the role of women in the organizations of developed and less developed countries has increased, but little is known about gender gap in salaries of Iranian physicians. Aims: The aim of this study was to analyze the gender gap in the salary of physicians working in public health sector of Iran and its predicting factors in 2016. Study design: This is a cross sectional study conducted on physicians’ salary in Iran in 2016. Methods: 30824 records about characteristics of study population were extracted from national human resources for health database. Nearest neighborhood matching technique was used to find adjusted differences of salary between male and female physicians. In addition, by using Oaxaca decomposition method, the reasons for the differences were found. Results: The results showed that there was a difference of 117 dollars in monthly salaries of male and female physicians in favor of men. Differences in male and female salaries could be predicted by place of work and residency, type of specialty, type of employment and marital status. Conclusion: Gender gap in physicians' salaries exists in public health sector of Iran. The payment methods of salaries for men and women should be revised in order to remove the inequalities.

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