Academic Journal
How do the incomes of Israeli Arab physicians compare with those of Israeli Jewish physicians?
| Τίτλος: | How do the incomes of Israeli Arab physicians compare with those of Israeli Jewish physicians? |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Rosen B; Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, Jerusalem, Israel. bruce@jdc.org.; The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel. bruce@jdc.org., Miaari S; Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.; Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. |
| Πηγή: | Israel journal of health policy research [Isr J Health Policy Res] 2026 Jun 24; Vol. 15 (1). Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jun 24. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101584158 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2045-4015 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20454015 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Isr J Health Policy Res Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: London : BioMed Central |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Arabs*/statistics & numerical data , Physicians*/economics , Physicians*/statistics & numerical data , Jews*/statistics & numerical data , Income*/statistics & numerical data, Israel ; Humans ; Male ; Adult ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Middle Eastern People |
| Περίληψη: | Background: In 2023 Israeli Arabs (i.e., Arab Palestinian citizens of Israel) constituted 22% of Israel's working-age population. In that same year, Israeli Arabs constituted 25% of Israel's employed physicians of working age - up significantly from 8% in 2010. The objectives of this study were to: 1) assess whether, and to what extent, there is an Arab-Jewish income differential among Israeli physicians; 2) assess the extent to which any such differential can be attributed to Arab-Jewish differences in the demographic, geographic, and/or work-related characteristics of the medical workforce; and 3) explore the policy implications of the key findings. Methods: The analysis utilized the Central Bureau of Statistics' 2022 Population and Housing Census, which included data on 7,089 physicians, of whom 1,333 were Arab and 5,756 were Jewish or other (hereafter "Jewish"). The main income variable examined was "Total annual gross income from work". Results: In 2022, the average annual physician income for Arab physicians was 26% less than for Jewish physicians (NIS 358 thousand vs. NIS 483 thousand). Arab physicians were more likely to be under age 40 (71% v. 28%), male (77% v. 52%), residents of the North region (48% v. 7%), in non-supervisory roles (87% v. 75%), and generalists or family practitioners (33% v. 22%). Controlling for age and sex, via regression analysis, reduced the income differential to 1%. This major reduction was due to Arab physicians being markedly younger than Jewish physicians. Further controlling for regional distribution and work characteristics (managerial status, specialty status/type, and months worked) did not change the ethnicity differential, but did markedly reduce the coefficients of the age variables. Conclusions: The 2022 Arab-Jewish income differential among physicians was due predominantly to differences in age composition. The differential could potentially shrink in the decades ahead, as more Arab physicians reach the ages at which physician incomes are at their highest. However, as part of the effect of age on income is mediated by work characteristics, the extent to which the wage gap will shrink will depend in part on the extent to which Arab physicians will secure prestigious residency training slots and managerial positions. Health system leaders can play an important role in promoting such developments. In particular, steps should be taken to increase the representativeness of Arabs in Israeli medical schools. (© 2026. The Author(s).) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. |
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| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260624 Date Completed: 20260624 Latest Revision: 20260726 |
| Update Code: | 20260726 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13292322 |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s13584-026-00769-w |
| PMID: | 42337635 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
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