Compensation Trends and Projected Gender-Based Pay Disparities in Academic Urology, 2016-2024

Summary

This research characterized compensation trends and gender-based pay disparities among academic urologists between 2016 and 2024, also projecting the impact on cumulative career earnings. The study utilized compensation data from the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) Faculty Salary Surveys for the specified period. Researchers stratified median compensation by year, gender, and academic rank to evaluate disparities. They assessed compensation growth using compound annual growth rates and projected these forward to estimate the time required to achieve pay parity. Cumulative career earnings were estimated through a net present value analysis, providing a comprehensive view of the long-term financial impact of existing pay differences. The findings revealed that median compensation growth for most academic ranks in urology tracked near or below the inflation rate of 3.29% between 2016 and 2024, with growth rates varying from 1.70% for chiefs to 5.83% for instructors. Significantly, female assistant, associate, and full professors consistently received lower compensation than men throughout the study period. In 2024, women constituted 30.1% of assistant, 22.3% of associate, and 9.6% of full professors. The pay ratio showed that women earned $0.93 for every $1.00 earned by men at the assistant and full professor levels, and $0.86 at the associate professor level. Projections, assuming persistent trends and a 30-year career with 8-year promotion intervals, indicated a substantial cumulative earnings deficit of $940,000 for women. Achieving pay parity was projected to take 43.8 years for assistant professors and 13.3 years for associate professors, while for full professors, parity was not expected within 50 years. The authors concluded that this projected career earnings gap, approaching $1 million, might even be an underestimate due to evidence of slower promotion rates for female academic urologists. The study underscores the critical importance of implementing policies that ensure both equitable pay and career progression opportunities to address these disparities.