Objective and Method: Using data from the APA's 1988-1989 Professional
Activities Survey, the authors compared male and female psychiatrists
on demographic characteristics, training, practice patterns, and inco
me. Results: In keeping with previous studies' findings, female respon
dents on the average were younger than male respondents and more likel
y to have taken a residency or fellowship in child or adolescent psych
iatry, worked fewer hours per week, allocated their working hours diff
erently among types of activities, saw fewer patients per week, and wo
rked in somewhat different settings. Multiple regression analysis show
ed that women had significantly lower mean net annual income than men
after the effects of those predictors were statistically controlled. C
onclusions: Differences in age, training, hours worked in specific set
tings, and numbers of patients do not completely account for the gende
r gap in psychiatrists' annual incomes.