AAPA Establishes Annual Wage PArity Day

Earlier this year, data from the 2017 AAPA Salary Report found that even after controlling for factors such as hours worked, specialty, experience, and other career variables, female PAs are paid 93 cents for every dollar male PAs are paid. Inspired by the methodology used in a recent Washington Post article, this gender pay gap means that, in effect, female PAs start "working for free" in 2017 on Dec. 4.

"As nearly 70 percent of PAs are female, this is an important issue for our profession. I know the cost of a PA education. I work with the talented and ambitious women who have chosen to become PAs, and it greatly disturbs me to know that the gender pay gap means it will take them longer to pay off their student loan debt, have a negative effect on their household income, and make it harder for them to save for retirement," said L. Gail Curtis, PA-C, MPAS, DFAAPA, president and chair of the AAPA Board of Directors.

For one of the fastest growing health professions, which is nearly 70 percent female, this disparity is unacceptable.

"By establishing Wage PArity Day, AAPA is taking another step in increasing awareness of this important issue," said Jenna Dorn, CEO of AAPA. "No pay gap is acceptable. We will continue to find ways to meaningfully move the needle and achieve true pay equity within the PA profession." 

To learn more, visit WagePArityDay.org. Join the online conversation using #WagePArityDay.  

About the American Academy of PAs
AAPA is the national organization that advocates for all PAs and provides tools to improve PA practice and patient care. Founded in 1968, AAPA represents a profession of more than 115,500 PAs across all medical and surgical specialties in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories and the uniformed services. Visit www.aapa.org to learn more.

SOURCE American Academy of PAs

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http://www.aapa.org