• Home
  • Practice Focus
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
    • How I Do It
    • TRIO Best Practices
  • Business of Medicine
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Practice Management
    • Tech Talk
    • AI
  • Literature Reviews
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Career
    • Medical Education
    • Professional Development
    • Resident Focus
  • ENT Perspectives
    • ENT Expressions
    • Everyday Ethics
    • From TRIO
    • The Great Debate
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Rx: Wellness
    • The Voice
    • Viewpoint
  • TRIO Resources
    • Triological Society
    • The Laryngoscope
    • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
    • TRIO Combined Sections Meetings
    • COSM
    • Related Otolaryngology Events
  • Search

Otolaryngology’s Gender Wage Gap

by Karen Appold • April 18, 2023

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
Print-Friendly Version

Jennifer A. Villwock, MD, associate professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, said that increased visibility of women in leadership positions makes the path to otolaryngology and leadership more accessible to young students and trainees who are seeking mentors and role models. It also helps programming at meetings to be more inclusive in terms of speakers and panels.

You Might Also Like

  • How Otolaryngology Can Address the Gender Gap
  • The Otolaryngology Gender Gap: How do we make it disappear?
  • Gender Homophily in Surgical Faculty Networks Associated with Impeded Career Advancement for Women
  • Solving Gender Pay Inequity in Otolaryngology Requires Multipronged Effort
Explore This Issue
April 2023

“While many women who are more junior in their careers understandably seek female mentorship, there is a dearth of female leaders in our specialty,” Dr. Crosby said. “With this, it is incumbent upon not only senior women to serve as mentors and sponsors, but also for men to become familiar with the challenges specifically faced by women to serve in these roles as well.”

The Impact of Having Children

When women are being considered for leadership roles, several factors are taken into account, including a combination of clinical and research productivity.

Women in medicine often delay having children during medical school and residency and may choose to begin families early in their careers, Dr. Crosby continued. This choice results in female junior faculty being more likely to have extended time off for maternity leave, which can impact their pay and productivity, both clinically and academically.

This situation undoubtedly leads to a differential in both leadership roles and pay. Beyond the tangible impact of women taking time off for maternity leave and childcare, Dr. Crosby has heard countless times that while a certain woman might be qualified for a position, “‘She probably won’t be interested because she’s busy with her family,’” she said. “It’s frustrating that others continue to make this choice for women rather than having an open discussion with them. This phenomenon has been coined ‘the mommy track,’ and leadership needs to be careful to avoid this type of cognitive bias.”

Leveling the Playing Field

So how can the otolaryngology field close the wage gap? “As a field, we need to be committed to the goal of achieving pay equity,” Dr. Grandis said. “We need to engage both institutional and academic leaders, as well as the vast number of otolaryngologists who don’t work in university settings such as private practice and managed care. We need to routinely collect data to see how we’re faring.”

It’s critical that both men and women in leadership roles continue to identify talented young women to enter the field of otolaryngology and help them develop their careers, Dr. Crosby said. “While it’s important for women in leadership roles to take a vested interest, male counterparts need to recognize the gender tax that this creates, in which women spend a disproportionate amount of time mentoring other women,” she said.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 | Single Page

Filed Under: Features, Home Slider Tagged With: diversity, gender equityIssue: April 2023

You Might Also Like:

  • How Otolaryngology Can Address the Gender Gap
  • The Otolaryngology Gender Gap: How do we make it disappear?
  • Gender Homophily in Surgical Faculty Networks Associated with Impeded Career Advancement for Women
  • Solving Gender Pay Inequity in Otolaryngology Requires Multipronged Effort

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

Polls

Would you choose a concierge physician as your PCP?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive

Top Articles for Residents

  • Applications Open for Resident Members of ENTtoday Edit Board
  • How To Provide Helpful Feedback To Residents
  • Call for Resident Bowl Questions
  • New Standardized Otolaryngology Curriculum Launching July 1 Should Be Valuable Resource For Physicians Around The World
  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • A Journey Through Pay Inequity: A Physician’s Firsthand Account

    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment

    • Otolaryngologists Are Still Debating the Effectiveness of Tongue Tie Treatment

    • Shifting the Treatment Goalpost Toward Medical Management of Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis

    • Excitement Around Gene Therapy for Hearing Restoration

    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment

    • Rating Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Severity: How Do Two Common Instruments Compare?

    • Is Middle Ear Pressure Affected by Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Use?

    • Otolaryngologists Are Still Debating the Effectiveness of Tongue Tie Treatment

    • Complications for When Physicians Change a Maiden Name

    • Excitement Around Gene Therapy for Hearing Restoration
    • “Small” Acts of Kindness
    • How To: Endoscopic Total Maxillectomy Without Facial Skin Incision
    • Science Communities Must Speak Out When Policies Threaten Health and Safety
    • Observation Most Cost-Effective in Addressing AECRS in Absence of Bacterial Infection

Follow Us

  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • The Triological Society
  • The Laryngoscope
  • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies

Wiley

Copyright © 2025 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial technologies or similar technologies. ISSN 1559-4939