There’s evidence for a wage gap.
Is there a wage gap in eyecare?
A new study suggests that for women in ophthalmology, at least, there is. And according to the American Optometric Association, there’s a similar pattern in optometry.
Reporting on the research, AOA explains that average female ophthalmologist was found to collect 58 cents for every dollar collected by a male ophthalmologist. The figure was based on a review of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) payment database for years 2012-13.
The study, published online in the January edition of JAMA Ophthalmology, included 16,111 ophthalmologists, about 20 percent of whom were women.
After comparing men and women with similar clinical activity, pay was still lower for women, AOA reports. The investigators said more research is necessary to determine the causes of the pay gap.
Optometry also has a pay gap, AOA notes. The latest AOA Survey of Optometry Practice (2015) found that female practice owners earned about $41,000 less than their male counterparts in 2014, or about 33 percent less.
That’s despite the fact that far more women than men are enrolling optometry schools.
Read more at AOA