Nursing Gender Pay Differentials in the New Millennium

Background The gender pay gap in the United States is an ongoing issue, affecting women in nearly all occupations. Jobs traditionally associated with men tend to pay better than traditionally female‐dominated jobs, and there is evidence to suggest within‐occupation gender pay differences as well. Pu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of nursing scholarship 2018-01, Vol.50 (1), p.102-108
Main Authors: Wilson, Barbara L., Butler, Matthew J., Butler, Richard J., Johnson, William G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Employment
Ethnicity
gender
Gender differences
Gender inequality
Gender pay gap
Labor market
Millennium
Nurses
Nursing
Occupations
Patients
pay differentials
pay inequities
Sociodemographics
Teachers
Teaching
Trends
wage gap
Wages & salaries
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Summary:Background The gender pay gap in the United States is an ongoing issue, affecting women in nearly all occupations. Jobs traditionally associated with men tend to pay better than traditionally female‐dominated jobs, and there is evidence to suggest within‐occupation gender pay differences as well. Purpose We compared and contrasted gender wage disparities for registered nurses (RNs), relative to gender wage disparities for another female‐dominated occupation, teachers, while controlling for sociodemographic factors. Methods Using data in the American Community Survey, we analyzed the largest U.S. random representative sample of self‐identified RNs and primary or secondary school teachers from 2000 to 2013 using fixed‐effects regression analysis. Results There is greater disparity between nurse pay by gender than in teacher pay by gender. In addition, the net return in wages for additional education is higher for school teachers (21.7%) than for RNs (4.7%). Conclusions Findings support preferential wages for men in nursing, more so than for men in teaching. Clinical Relevance The substantial gender disparities are an indirect measure of the misallocation of resources in effective patient care.
ISSN:1527-6546
1547-5069
DOI:10.1111/jnu.12356