Female doctors earn nearly one-third less than male counterparts

Female medical practitioners earn 31.5 per cent less than their male counterparts, according to findings from IMO research on gender equality.

Females also tend to be overrepresented in specialties such as public health, general practice and psychiatry. They tend to be underrepresented in surgical specialties.

The study also found that both male and female doctors report experiencing difficulty in accessing child care and 78 per cent of all doctors with children believe that the HSE should provide childcare facilities on-site in line with expected working hours.

In relation to bullying and harassment, while similar percentages of both male and female doctors had experienced bullying (52.2 per cent and 59.4 per cent respectively), the experience of gender-based harassment and sexual harassment was heavily skewed against females.  53.6 per cent of females, compared to 12.4 per cent of males, had experienced gender-based harassment and 39.8 per cent of females versus 13.8 per cent of males had experienced sexual harassment.

The study also reflected a lower tolerance generally towards bullying and harassment, with those who regarded it as “a serious issue” increasing from 24.8 per cent in 2016 to 57.4 per cent.

Speaking today, Dr. Madeleine Ní Dhálaigh said: “The survey demonstrates that the experience of the medical workforce is similar to the experience of the broader workforce.  More needs to be done to support female participation in the medical workforce.  Doctors – both male and female – recognise that and there is a growing impatience to see solid progress on making the health services a more welcoming environment for females.”

The IMO AGM heard from speakers on the issue of gender equality in medicine at the Aviva Stadium on 28 May.