Short-Changed: Inflation Intensifies Pay Inequity in Female-Dominated Specialties

Female-dominated specialties such as obstetrics and gynaecology (OBGYN) face longstanding compensation disparities. With the sharp rise in inflation over the past decade, it is unclear whether these gaps have widened. We conducted a retrospective analysis using data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information's National Physician Database (fiscal year [FY] 2015-2024); Supply, Distribution, and Migration of Physicians in Canada data set (FY 2015-2024); and Statistics Canada's Consumer Price Index. Compensation trends were assessed nationally and by province, normalized to FY 2015, and compared between female-dominated specialties (OBGYN, pediatrics) and matched male-dominated specialties (urology, internal medicine). OBGYN compensation increased by 3.7% over the study period, whereas inflation increased by 27.1%, resulting in an effective 23.4% decrease in compensation. This is compared with increases of 20.7% for surgical specialties and 16.8% for medical specialties. Provincial variation was substantial, with Nova Scotia experiencing greater increases in compensations, whereas Québec experienced gross decreases in OBGYN compensation. Compared with male-dominated specialties, the female-dominated specialties of OBGYN and pediatrics experienced less compensation growth. Overall, compensation in female-dominated specialties has not kept pace with inflation, resulting in significant real-wage erosion and widening disparities relative to male-dominated specialties. These findings underscore the need for pay equity-focused reforms in provincial physician compensation models.