Underpaid But Secure: When Pay Inequity Hurts Less

• In Event: 452 - Regular Session. Job Quality, Insecurity, and Well-Being

Abstract

Roughly half of American workers report feeling underpaid, a perception of organizational injustice that has been linked with job dissatisfaction. Despite the large literature on the negative effects of organizational injustice on well-being, relatively little attention has been given to the conditions under which the association may be altered. The present study examines the extent to which job and economic security may attenuate the effect of underpayment on job dissatisfaction. Results indicate that perceived underpayment is associated positively with job dissatisfaction, and higher perceived job security, higher personal income, and lower economic hardship attenuate the effect of underpayment on job dissatisfaction. Furthermore, I observe that while the association between underpayment and job dissatisfaction is positive among for-profit workers, there is no association among government workers. These patterns were not explained by differences in job or economic security by occupational sector.

Author

• Atsushi Narisada, University of Toronto