The Research Question Female general practitioners in Australia earn less than their male peers on average While female GPs work less hours than male GPs, this does not explain the full pay gap The research question was “Why do female GPs earn less than their male peers per hour in a system which theoretically should pay them at a similar rate”

What the Researchers Did Analysis of data from BEACH, a National study of general practice activity. We examined the: content of GP consultations billing intention for each consultation length of consultations amount of non-billable time between consultations Hours worked per week

What the Researchers Found Compared to male GPs, female GPs: worked less hours per week had significantly longer consultations had more problems managed and clinical actions performed at their consultations performed more non-billable work charged slightly more per 100 consultations, but due to the additional time taken to preform these consultations, earned less per hour

What This Means for Clinical Practice Under Australia’s current fee-for-service system, the female GP style of care earns less There is evidence that patients of female GPs visit less often (after adjustment of age, sex and number of chronic conditions) It is likely that the results found in this study may explain some of the gender pay gap found among GPs in other countries.