Female physicians earn 22.2% less in total compensation, about $354,000 annually, compared to $463,000 for men, according to a Marit Health report published Feb. 3.
The report covered the physician gender pay gap, analyzing 10,865 anonymous full-time physician salary submissions shared through January 2026.
Here are nine more things to know:
1. Female physicians earn about $0.78 per $1 in total compensation and $0.80 per $1 in base salary compared to male peers.
2. Female physicians are concentrated below median physician pay, while male physicians dominate compensation levels above $500,000.
3. After controlling for specialty, hours worked, experience, geography and practice setting, women still earn about $0.93 per every $1 their male counterparts earn, leaving an unexplained 7% gap, according to the report.
4. Differences in specialty account for 48% ($0.11) of the total compensation disparity between male and female physicians.
5. Fewer than 1 in 5 physicians in specialties such as neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, cardiology and radiology are female, despite total compensation often exceeding $600,000.
6. Female physicians are overrepresented in family medicine, endocrinology, genetics and OB-GYN, where half or more of physicians are women.
7. The widest unadjusted gaps appear in infectious disease, allergy and immunology, pulmonology, orthopedic surgery and dermatology, though women out-earn men in preventive medicine and pathology.
8. Over a 30-year career, female physicians can expect to earn about $3.3 million less than male counterparts.
9. Male physicians are more likely to receive bonuses, earn a greater share of compensation from non-salary income, and report signing bonuses that average 26% higher than those of female physicians.
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