Social Comparisons and Contentment Exploring the Psychological Costs of the Gender Wage Gap

• Published in: Psychology of women quarterly Vol. 18; no. 2; pp. 241 - 249
• Main Authors: Bylsma, Wayne H., Major, Brenda
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.06.1994; Human Sciences Press; Cambridge University Press, etc; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Discrimination; Factors; Feminism; Feminist psychology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gender differences; Motivation. Job satisfaction. Attitude; Occupational psychology; Pay; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Satisfaction; Sexes; Sexism; Sexual Inequality; Social comparison; Social Justice; Social research; Wages; Wages & salaries; Womens studies; Human; Social comparison; Justice; Professional performance; Wage; Self evaluation; Sex; Equity; Adult; Job satisfaction
• ISSN: 0361-6843; 1471-6402
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-6402.1994.tb00453.x

This study explored the role of social comparison processes in fostering contentment among those who are objectively disadvantaged. We focus on how comparisons can produce gender differences in personal entitlement, perceptions of one's own performance, and pay satisfaction. We hypothesized that individuals would base judgments of entitlement, performance, and pay satisfaction more on comparisons with ingroup (same-sex) than outgroup (cross-sex) others, even when both types of comparison information were equally available, unavoidable, and made clear the disadvantaged status of the ingroup. As predicted, the amount students felt they were entitled to be paid, how well they thought they had performed (women only), and how satisfied they were with their pay were all influenced more by same-sex than cross-sex comparison information. The implications of these results for the tolerance of injustice among disadvantaged groups are discussed.