GP gender pay gap exposed

Female GPs are billing almost $40,000 less on average per year for the same amount of consultation time, a new study suggests.
 
Research commissioned by Ochre Health analysed the Medicare billings of 511 GPs across 70 different clinics in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.
 
Using data extracted from Cubiko between July 2023 and June 2024, the study found female GPs earn $24.14 less on average per consulting hour.
 
This billings gap is equivalent to $38,237.76 each year assuming an average of 33 hours worked across 48 weeks in the year, although the report notes this does not account for other expenses such as practice fees and medical indemnity insurance.
 
With female GPs also on average working fewer consulting hours, the gap is likely to be even wider in practice.
 
The data shows that while female GPs are less likely to bulk bill and have a slightly higher billing per consultation, they have lower throughput of patients each hour on average, with men averaging 0.25 more patients.
 
That finding corresponds to this year’s Health of the Nation report which found that female GPs spend on average three minutes more per patient.
 
The analysis published by Ochre Health suggests this difference is the ‘major driver’ behind the gender pay gap.
 
For RACGP Vice President and WA Chair Dr Ramya Raman, those findings resonate with her both as a practice owner and as a female GP.
 
‘The paper really highlights what we as grassroots GPs are really feeling on the ground,’ she told newsGP.
 
It comes as research recently published in the Australian Journal of General Practice shines a light on the ‘hidden complexity’ of every general practice consultation.
 
‘It’s one of the key reasons why the college has been calling for increasing the Medicare rebates for patients who need longer consultations,’ Dr Raman said.
 
‘It’s actually really important to recognise that because greater than 50% of our membership are women in our workforce in general practice.
 
‘Close to 50% of those who are GPs in training are women as well, and if we are to speak to the realities of aligning and not having a gender pay gap, then this is a starting point.
 
‘This isn’t about paying women less for the same item number – it’s actually about identifying complexity and the time that women GPs and GPs in training spend in these consultations.’
 
The pay gap was found to be more pronounced outside of cities, and peaks at 17% in Modified Monash Area 4.
 
The study also found female GPs recorded 77 fewer consulting hours than male GPs on average across the year, with male GPs consulting for an average 666.3 hours, compared to 589.7 hours for female GPs.
 
‘This study found that female GPs complete 11.5% less consulting hours than male GPs over the course of the year, significantly impacting their ability to earn the same weekly or annual earnings as male GPs,’ the report states.
 
Authors found the use of chronic disease management items is unlikely to be a major factor, and while there are differences in the pay gap among international graduates and younger GPs, these are not statistically significant.
 
They also note the heavy representation of the ACT and states such as NSW and Tasmania, acknowledging the study has ‘a regional bias that might not accurately reflect a national viewpoint’.
 
‘Areas that are less represented or missing from the dataset altogether could hold different priorities, needs, or experiences that aren’t fully captured,’ they wrote.
 
They are calling for a deeper investigation into what is driving differences in appointment volume, as well as longitudinal studies that show differences over time.
 
Dr Raman agrees on the need for further investigation, saying the system needs to better reflect modern clinical practice.
 
‘When Medicare was set up, the health needs of our patients were very different in relation to what we are seeing at the moment and we need to keep on top of that in terms of health reform,’ she said.
 
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said while the findings are disappointing, they are not surprising.
 
‘This is why the college has continued to push for an increase in Medicare rebates for longer consultations, those Level Cs and Ds which are providing more complex care and are more often provided by female GPs,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘Fixing the Medicare rebates is what we need to do, and we need to value that complex care which takes more time, which all GPs, regardless of their gender, are providing more of.’
 
A review is currently underway considering whether the existing time-tiered MBS items ‘appropriately support contemporary clinical practice’. It will open to consultation in early 2026.
 
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