Gary Tigges, a physician at Plano Internal Medicine Associates wrote in the Dallas Medical Journal that women should be paid less than men because they don't work as hard.
"Yes, there is a pay gap," Tigges wrote. "Female physicians do not work as hard and do not see as many patients as male physicians."
He continued, "This is because they choose to, or they simply don't want to be rushed, or they don't want to work the long hours. Most of the time, their priority is something else... Family, social, whatever."
After these comments surfaced, Tigges received mass backlash on the internet. People also criticized the Dallas Medical Journal for publishing his remarks.
Dear @physicianwomen , Feel free 2 let Dr @garytigges know what you think about his assessment of the gender wage g… https://t.co/IBCYgeqaei— PWDP: wear a mask, let's go Georgia (@PWDP: wear a mask, let's go Georgia) 1535772049.0
Published in this month’s Dallas Medical Journal. These kinds of views - that women are paid less because they ar… https://t.co/b6033BGeUM— Esther Choo MD MPH (@Esther Choo MD MPH) 1535764084.0
If anyone knows Dr. Gary Tigges in Plano, TX, please tell him that he’s just pissed off a few thousand HARD WORKING… https://t.co/7nasDAvHwz— Alethea Allen, MD, MTS (@Alethea Allen, MD, MTS) 1535770760.0
Tigges has since apologized for his comments.
“I have heard from several trusted female physician colleagues who disagree with and are deeply hurt and offended by the comments I made to the Dallas Medical Journal regarding pay equity among female and male physicians,” Tigges wrote. “I want to thank them for reaching out to me and sharing their concerns. I now understand more clearly how intricate this issue is and that there are ways we can work together to resolve these disparities.”
He added that his comments were taken out of context, "My response sounds terrible and horrible and doesn’t reflect what I was really trying to say. I’m not saying female physicians should be paid less, but they earn less because of other factors.”
