The Gender Pay Gap in Nursing

With women dominating nursing, it could be assumed that a gender pay gap doesn’t exist. However, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), nothing could be farther from the truth. Although women make up the vast majority of the nursing workforce, they are paid significantly less than their male counterparts—to the tune of $5,100 less per year on average. If you’re a nurse anesthetist, it’s even worse. Annually, male nurse anesthetists make an average of $17,290 more than women in the specialty. In a recent publication, Nursing@Simmons explored the factors which feed the gender pay gap—as well as what can be done to combat them. Here, we’ll explore what they are and how women in health care can take action to prevent wage disparity.
Riding the Glass Escalator
There is actually a term for the fact that men have typically received higher wages and faster promotions in female-dominated professions like nursing: the “glass escalator” effect. While women are knocking their craniums against the glass ceilings of male-dominated professions, men are often gliding by them, with little effort to advance in professions dominated by a female workforce. Some of the reasons for this dynamic include the unconscious—yet persistent—bias that men are more capable and women with children are less committed to work.
In addition, while women are more assertive in the workplace today than ever before, recruiters and HR profe...

Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - March 29, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Advocacy Nurses Source Type: blogs