TOPLINE:

Women who work as academic ophthalmologists earn less than men at all ranks. In 2024, women at the assistant professor and chair ranks earn 91 cents on the dollar compared with men, while women at associate professor and professor ranks earn 85 cents on the dollar. The disparity would lead to an estimated $1.04 million difference in compensation over a 30-year career.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers pulled data from the Association of American Medical Colleges Faculty Salary Survey (2016-2024) to analyze approximately 1470 full-time academic ophthalmology faculty per year (approximately 59% men) across 156 accredited US medical schools.
• The analysis examined total financial compensation across academic ranks including assistant professor, associate professor, professor, and chair, arranged by gender from 2018 to 2024.
• Researchers measured yearly increases in pay, including salary, bonuses, and supplements, and compared them with the average 3.29% US inflation rate from 2016 to 2024.
• The study team estimated total career earnings for men and women using a net present value analysis, applying a 3% discount rate to account for inflation and considering different career lengths (25, 30, or 35 years) and promotion schedules (every 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12 years).

TAKEAWAY:

• Women represented 52.1% vs 47.2% of assistant professors in 2024 vs 2018, but only 30.4% vs 19.1% of professors vs chairs in 2024.
• Compensation increased by 3.41% vs 1.98% annually for female vs male assistant professors, while pay grew by 3.6% vs 2.38% annually for female vs male associate professors.
• Female professors and chairs experienced slower growth in compensation (2.45% and 1.95% annually, respectively) than their male counterparts (2.89% and 3.34% annually).

IN PRACTICE:

“Among academic ophthalmologists, women earned less than men on average,” the researchers of the study reported. “These differences could be eliminated over the next decade and a half among the assistant and associate professor rank. If trends continue as they are, parity among the professor and chair ranks will never be attained.”

The findings further suggest “wages have barely kept pace with the rate of inflation; thus, ophthalmologists are not gaining any spending power,” they added.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Elyssa Dionne, BS, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut. It was published online in March 26 in JAMA Ophthalmology.

LIMITATIONS:

The study used institution-reported data rather than faculty data and did not include details such as hours worked, years in practice, or supplemental income, which could impact compensation. The study also relied on simplified financial models, lacked subspecialty breakdowns, and included only full-time academic ophthalmologists, which may have affected the accuracy and generalizability of the findings.

DISCLOSURES:

Various study authors reported receiving funding through the Yale School of Medicine Medical Student Fellowship and personal fees from Alphatec, as well as serving as editor in chief of the North American Spine Society Journal and deputy editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.