Economic and Interpersonal Work Rewards: Subjective Utilities of Men's and Women's Compensation

Pehaps women earn less than do men because they get other rewards. We examine interpersonal work rewards as potential alternatives to economic rewards. The theory of compensating differentials suggests that the subjective utility (measured as psychological well-being and personal control) of earnings is greater for men whereas that of interpersonal rewards is greater for women. In a representative national sample of 1,286 employed persons, we find that women get more interpersonal work rewards than do men, and that these rewards correlate negatively with earnings. However, women do not find interpersonal work rewards more subjectively rewarding than do men, and men do not find economic work rewards more subjectively rewarding than do women. Earnings increase women's psychological well-being more than men's, and recognition from others increases men's sense of personal control more than women's