Gender Disparities Exist in Annual and Lifetime Salary Compensation Among Full‐Time Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Faculty at Academic Institutions

PURPOSE: To understand differences in the annual and lifetime salary compensation among academic orthopaedic sports medicine faculty by gender. METHODS: Salary compensation benchmarks were obtained from the 2023 American Association of Medical Colleges Faculty Salary Survey. Median salaries were analyzed for assistant professors, associate professors, and full professors. Net present value analysis was used to determine the association between gender and public or private employment status on lifetime salary compensation assuming different academic promotion and career longevity scenarios. RESULTS: There were 312 full-time orthopaedic sports medicine faculty, and 44 were women (14%). There were 154 assistant professors (49%), 87 associate professors (28%), and 71 full professors (23%). Most faculty were men across academic ranks (range, 84%-90%). Faculty at public institutions had similar salary compensation as faculty at private institutions (range, 89%-104%). Male faculty had higher salary compensation at higher academic ranks including assistant professor ($597,229), associate professor ($710,563), and full professor ($732,519). Gender differences in annual salary compensation increased among senior faculty. Compared with male faculty, female faculty had lower salary compensation at assistant professor ($472,250, 79%), associate professor ($534,883, 75%), and full professor ($423,762, 58%). Gender differences in annual salary compensation were associated with a cumulative difference of $3.9 to $9.5 million during a career in academic orthopaedic sports medicine. CONCLUSIONS: Gender differences in salary compensation exist for orthopaedic sports medicine faculty at US medical schools and are greatest at senior academic ranks. These gender differences translate into profound disparities in lifetime salary compensation. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Perceived disparities in financial compensation may lead to higher rates of burnout, dissatisfaction, and attrition from academic careers in orthopaedic surgery. Promoting gender diversity, inclusion, and equity remains a strategic imperative held by multiple professional societies in orthopaedic sports medicine.