Gender Pay Disparities Within the Emergency Medical Services

Abstract

The current study examined nationally certified EMS data from 2008 in an effort to determine if wage disparities exist within the Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The present study also sought to identify potential factors that may contribute to any wage differences between men and women EMS professionals. Methods: A secondary analysis of 2008 Longitudinal Emergency Medical Technician Attributes & Demographics Study (LEADS) data was used to examine factors that may contribute to wage differences in Emergency Medical Service (EMS) professionals within the United States. Results: Gender wage disparities in the Emergency Medical Services were found to exist. Level of certification, years of experience, type of employer, type of community, and gender of the Emergency Medical Service professional were all found to predict significantly EMS earnings. Nearly half (49%) of EMS earnings is explained by the level of certification, years of experience, hours worked, type of employer, community size, and to the gender of the EMS professional. Gender by itself explained 4.4% of the variance in EMS earnings. The findings from this study may be used to help understand and possibly reduce gender pay differences in the Emergency Medical Services by identifying predictors of gender wage disparities.