Registered nurses and licensed practical nurses are seeing notable pay increases, but gender equity is lagging, according to a new survey.

Salaried male RNs and LPNs earned an average of $4,000 and $3,000, respectively, more than female counterparts, according to Medscape’s 2017 RN/LPN Compensation Report, which was released the first week of October. 

Hourly nurses appeared to have roughly the same pay by gender. But“an unanswered question, however, is why the hourly rate of pay for men and women is virtually identical when men, on average, have been practicing for fewer years (only 48% of men have worked > 20 years vs 68% of women),” the report reads.

For RNs working in long-term care, the average wage overall rose from $74,000 to $77,000 from 2015 to 2016. LPN wages grew from $47,000 to $49,000 over the same period.