1. 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”

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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.