When Getting Less Than You Deserve Hurts Less: Resources and the Consequences of Feeling Underpaid

• In Event: 515 - Section on Sociology of Mental Health Paper Session. The Economy, Work, and Mental Health

Abstract

Roughly half of American workers report feeling underpaid. Little is known about the psychological consequences of this chronic stressor and the conditions that moderate its effects. We ask: Under what conditions does feeling underpaid hurt less? In our analyses of data from a 2005 survey of U.S. workers, three new discoveries emerge: (1) the psychological consequences of feeling underpaid depends on both the outcome being considered—job dissatisfaction, anger, or depression—and the extent that one feels underpaid (i.e., “slightly” versus “severely”); (2) among the three interrelated forms of socioeconomic status—education, income, and economic hardship—only education consistently functions as a moderating/buffering resource; and (3) the key forms of objective and subjective control have surprisingly limited efficacy as buffering resources. We situate our findings within a broader discussion about “underreward” and the differential vulnerabilities associated with role-related structural constraints and subjective inequality.

Authors

• Scott Schieman, University of Toronto

• Atsushi Narisada, University of Toronto