The starting-salary disparity between male and female physician "cannot be explained by specialty choice, practice setting, work hours or other characteristics," the study's authors said. "The unexplained trend toward diverging salaries appears to be a recent development that is growing over time."
The wage gap among all job categories has been narrowing by one-half of a cent every year since 1963, according to a study released last April by the National Partnership for Women & Families. At that rate, women will achieve pay parity with men in 2056, the Washington-based organization said.
Secretaries Take Note
The size of the remaining gap is most evident in high-paying jobs. It's underscored by the disproportionate number of women in certain occupations. About 96 percent of the 2.6 million secretaries and administrative assistants in the U.S. are women. They're paid 87 cents for every $1 made by a male secretary.
Among the 265 occupations with more than 10,000 men and women employed, female registered nurses earned 92 cents for every $1 earned by male colleagues. Female flight attendants made 89 cents for every $1. Female hairdressers, stylists and cosmetologists made 68 cents for every $1 earned by a man.
Female butlers are the exception, making slightly more than their male counterparts. Demand for them is growing, said Steven Ferry, chairman of the Clearwater, Florida-based International Institute of Modern Butlers. He questioned the $25,645 median salary for women in the field, noting that butlers can be paid as much as $500,000.
"Any butler making only $25,000 should be shot," he said. "Still, female butlers can be more nurturing. And they're often better eye candy."