Quebec obstetricians and gynecologists association head to court over pay gap

MONTREAL — Quebec’s obstetricians and gynecologists have filed a legal challenge against the medical specialists federation over what they call a persistent gender-related pay gap.

The association representing the province’s obstetricians and gynecologists filed the review Thursday at a Quebec Superior Court. The association is a member of the medical specialists federation.

The federation is contesting the legal challenge, stating it would defend itself in court.

Although compensation has increased for medical specialists, the obstetricians and gynecologists association noted that specialties with a majority of female members continue to be paid less than those with a male majority. The federation of medical specialists says 75 per cent of obstetricians and gynecologists are women, making it the field with the highest proportion of women.

The association said medical specialists in fields with a majority of women earned, on average, 30 per cent less than those with a majority of men in 2020, and that this disparity still exists today.

The association is asking the court to order the federation to recognize the pay disparity and to promptly put an end to it.

“Equity cannot continually be put off. In a context where the federation has recognized the existence of gender-based inequities for several years, every delay in correcting them contributes to the maintenance and perpetuation of systemic discrimination against female medical specialists,” said the association in a legal filing.

In 2024, the Quebec pediatricians association also filed an injunction with the Superior Court against the federation regarding pay equity.

The federation adopted a new system in June to reduce the pay gaps between different medical specialists.

The remuneration of doctors who were earning lower revenues increased by a larger percentage than those with higher pay, under the new system.

However, the obstetricians and gynecologists association said the federation did not adequately consider the point of view of specialists in fields where most doctors are women.

In its response, the federation said it had been working hard to correct pay gaps between specialties for the past six years.

It also noted that the committee reviewing the pay system was made up of four male and four female doctors, including a pediatrician and an obstetrician-gynecologist — the two specialties at the heart of the legal challenges.

The federation said the 36 member associations voted to adopt the new system on June 23, “by a large majority.” They also noted “several predominantly female associations” where among those who supported it.

The federation accused the association of trying to overturn the results of the democratic vote.

“This legal action is not only targeting the federation: it challenges a decision that 36 associations made together, democratically, after several years of work conducted with independent pay equity experts. We believe in this process and we will defend it,” said Vincent Oliva, president of the federation, in the statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2026.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

Katrine Desautels, The Canadian Press