According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, fully employed women earn $0.81 for every dollar men make. Some of this discrepancy is due to women working in male dominated occupations, but when men work alongside women in female-dominated occupations, they still earn more.
Nursing is this week’s example. According to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, male nurses out earn female nurses in every work setting, every clinical setting, and every job position except one.
On average, male nurses make $5,100 more a year than female ones. In the specialty with the biggest discrepancy, nurse anesthetists, they out earned women by $17,290. More at NPR and the New York Times.
Lisa Wade, PhD is an Associate Professor at Tulane University. She is the author of American Hookup, a book about college sexual culture; a textbook about gender; and a forthcoming introductory text: Terrible Magnificent Sociology. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Comments 42
Bill R — April 4, 2015
The Times noted that only between 7% and 10% of nurses are male. They also stated:
The study did not address reasons underpinning the persistent gap. There could be several reasons, Dr. Muench said: Men may be better negotiators, for instance, or perhaps women more often leave the work force to raise children. Women may have a tougher time getting promoted, she said.
“A workplace may offer a bit more to the men in order to diversify,” said Diana Mason, a professor of nursing at Hunter College of The City University of New York and former editor of The American Journal of Nursing.
Still, it is possible that women earn less because of a “lingering bias that a man is more of an expert because he’s a man,” she said.
ViktorNN — April 4, 2015
Are there any efforts being made to diversify nursing so that more men are encouraged and allowed into the field?
Health care is one of the few sectors with growing numbers of good middle class jobs, seems like a shame that more men don't have access to these jobs.
pizzalee — April 5, 2015
I would like to see a similar study on wage discrepancies in the food services industry. Particularly the position of chef. Also, I am told that in many restaurants, the position of maître d and hostess is often regarded as the same job (with wildly uneven salaries) (please say it ain't so!).
I notice in the comments before me (by Viktor, Bill and John) sing the same songs that have been sung for ever. Viktor thinks it's a shame that men don't have access to nursing jobs (they don't?), Bill states the blindingly obvious in saying that women have a tougher time getting promoted, and you, John, need to be hit over the head with one of those big cartoon hammers that make that exaggerated "boi-iong" noise . Demographics? Really?
GulfPundit — April 6, 2015
Did you control for hours worked, experience, seniority and a host of other factors? No? Then this is statistical gibberish.
FlyingSpaghettiMonster — April 8, 2015
None of this includes: state wages, work hours (time of days), highest degree earned. Need more stats that actually prove numbers instead of just taking wages of workers and not connecting them with very important factors of payment, especially in this field.
“The Trouble with Girls…” is Really the Trouble with Sexism | SociologyInFocus — July 6, 2015
[…] are the majority: librarianship, social work, elementary education, and nursing (see Williams 1992, more evidence). The glass escalator refers to the practice of men being promoted more quickly in female-dominated […]