5 physician specialties with the largest, smallest gender pay gaps

In 2021, there was a 28 percent gender pay gap between male and female physicians. In 2022, it fell to 26 percent — but the cost is still significant, according to Doximity's 2023 Physician Compensation Report. 

To craft the report, Doximity — a networking service for medical professionals — tracked trends in physician pay nationwide. More than 80 percent of physicians are members, giving Doximity one of the largest physician compensation data sets in the U.S. Its tech-enabled healthcare staffing firm, Curative Talent, assisted on the report. 

Analysts determined that, on average, female physicians earn nearly $110,000 less per year than their male counterparts. Doximity estimates that over the course of a career, male physicians make $2 million more than female physicians. 

The gap cannot be attributed to women's choice in specialties, as it is visible within the same specialty areas, too. 

Here are the physician specialties with the largest and smallest gender pay gaps in 2022, according to Doximity: 

Specialties with the largest gender pay gaps: 

1. Oral and maxillofacial surgery

Men: $568,789

Women: $395,687

Gap: $173,102

2. Urology

Men: $515,850
Women: $424,733

Gap: $91,117

3. Ophthalmology

Men: $468,515

Women: $387,295

Gap: $81,220

4. Allergy and immunology 

Men: $329,634

Women: $268,938

Gap: $60,696

5. Pediatric pulmonology

Men: $282,272
Women: $227,958

Gap: $54,314


Specialties with the smallest gender pay gaps: 

1. Nuclear medicine

Men: $394,231

Women: $382,431

Gap: $11,800

2. Pediatric gastroenterology

Men: $293,771

Women: $264,135

Gap: $29,636

3. Medicine/pediatrics: 

Men: $283,034

Women: $253,019

Gap: $30,015

4. Pediatric cardiology

Men: $334,384

Women: $303,622

Gap: $30,762

5. Hematology: 

Men: $358,736

Women: $320,938

Gap: $37,798

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