Nature 449 (769) 17 Oct. 2007
News in Brief
Equal pay for women in science is achievable

Aggressive academic management can correct pay disparities between male and female scientists, say researchers. Their study assesses the effects of intervention to equalize salaries at the University of Arizona's College of Medicine in Tucson between 2000 and 2004 (A. L. Wright et al. J. Gen. Intern. Med. 22, 1398�1402 ; 2007). By 2004, women with basic science doctorates, for instance, were paid 97.6% of the amount men were paid.

Lead author Anne Wright, the college's associate dean for faculty affairs, says the study was undertaken to gauge the success of administrative actions after an earlier analysis found women faculty members were paid about $13,000 (11%) less than men (A. L. Wright et al. Acad. Med. 78, 500�508; 2003).The new study directly involved personnel records of about 400 faculty members, anthropologist Wright says, rather than using a percentage of staff who respond to a survey.