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Peer Salaries and Gender Differences in Job Satisfaction in the Workplace

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  • Karen Mumford
  • Peter N. Smith

Abstract

type="main"> A substantial and persistent earnings gap exists between male and female employees in Britain. Despite this gap, British women typically report higher levels of job satisfaction than men. We consider this apparent contradiction by asking whether the higher job satisfaction reported by female employees is associated with their being less concerned by the level of co-worker wages. We explore the relationship between reported job satisfaction and own, relative and comparison-group wage; allowing for asymmetry in responses across genders. We find that choice of relevant comparison group is affected by gender; men display behaviour characteristic of competitiveness while women do not.

Suggested Citation

  • Karen Mumford & Peter N. Smith, 2015. "Peer Salaries and Gender Differences in Job Satisfaction in the Workplace," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 83(3), pages 307-313, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:manchs:v:83:y:2015:i:3:p:307-313
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/manc.12060
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Colin P. Green & John S. Heywood & Parvinder Kler & Gareth Leeves, 2018. "Paradox Lost: The Disappearing Female Job Satisfaction Premium," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 56(3), pages 484-502, September.
    2. Karen Mumford & Cristina Sechel, 2017. "Pay, Rank and Job Satisfaction amongst Academic Economists in the UK," Discussion Papers 17/17, Department of Economics, University of York.
    3. Colin Peter Green & John Spencer Heywood & Parvinder Kler & Gareth Leeves, 2016. "Paradox lost," Working Papers 107134075, Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department.

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