Gender Equity in Family Medicine Compensation

Gender pay disparities are persistent and consequential in family medicine. Female family physicians earn approximately 16% less than their male counterparts, and the gap persists even after accounting for factors commonly used to explain compensation differences, including work hours and productivity.¹ Over a 30-year career, this disparity could result in a female family physician earning approximately $1.8 million less than a male peer.²

Gender pay inequities also persist across academic medicine and extend beyond differences in clinical effort. Recent AAMC data show a 19% difference in median compensation among early-career faculty with comparable clinical effort, with evidence suggesting disparities may be even greater at higher faculty ranks. Family medicine presents additional concerns as it had one of the largest gender disparities in assigned clinical effort among the specialties studied. Even among family medicine faculty with nearly identical high clinical effort, women received 10% lower median compensation than men.³

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) believes gender-based compensation disparities are inconsistent with the values of family medicine and supports transparent compensation practices in which physicians performing substantially similar work are compensated based on objective, job-related factors rather than gender. Eliminating gender-based compensation disparities strengthens the family medicine workforce, supports physician well-being and reinforces the delivery of high-quality patient care.

The Academy is committed to advancing compensation equity through advocacy, education, research, leadership development and collaboration with physicians, employers, educators, policymakers and other stakeholders.

To advance compensation equity across family medicine, academic medicine and the broader health care system, the AAFP supports:

• Compensation practices in which differences in compensation are based on objective, job-related factors such as experience, responsibilities, productivity and quality measures, and not on gender.
• Compensation systems that are transparent, regularly evaluated for inequities and designed to identify and mitigate bias.
• Physician payment models that appropriately recognize the comprehensive, continuous and relationship-based care provided by family physicians and reduce structural contributors to compensation inequities.

To assist our members in their pursuit of equity in compensation, the AAFP encourages:

• Education and training for organizational leaders and others involved in hiring, promotion and compensation decisions to recognize and reduce the effects of bias.
• Employers, health systems, medical schools and residency programs regularly review compensation, promotion and leadership practices, address identified inequities and examine the underlying causes of identified disparities to help prevent future inequities.
• Changes to leadership, promotion, mentorship, professional development and family-supportive workplace policies that provide physicians, regardless of gender, with opportunities to advance throughout their careers.
• Academic institutions and health care organizations foster professional environments that support inclusion, psychological safety and accountability, including policies that enable individuals to report concerns without fear of retaliation.

To advance this policy, the AAFP will advocate for:

• Public policies and organizational practices that promote fair hiring, compensation, advancement and leadership opportunities, regardless of gender.
• Research, data collection and reporting that improve understanding of physician compensation disparities and inform effective solutions.

(September 2026 BOD)

¹ Jabbarpour Y, Wendling A, Taylor M, et al. Family medicine's gender pay gap. J Am Board Fam Med. 2022;35(1):7-8. doi:10.3122/jabfm.2022.01.210086.

² Walter G, Siddiqi A, Huffstetler A. Female family physicians may earn $1.8 million less than male peers over a lifetime. Am Fam Physician. 2023;108(4):346-347.

³ Dandar VM, Lautenberger DM, Dutterer J. Using cFTE and wRVU Data in an Analysis of Salary Equity Among Assistant Professor Physicians. AAMC Data Snapshot. Association of American Medical Colleges; 2026.