Pay Dispersion and Job Attitudes for Women and Men: a Study of Swedish Doctors

Relatively little research has examined whether pay dispersion influences women’s and men’s job attitudes differently. Using a sample of 801 Swedish doctors, we found that pay dispersion was unrelated to organizational commitment but was significantly related to both women’s and men’s job satisfaction, and women’s perceived fairness. These effects were contingent on the individual’s position in the pay structure. Specifically, when pay dispersion was high, women who were paid less were more satisfied with their jobs, and more likely to believe that they were treated fairly than their female counterparts who were paid more. For men, receiving high pay relative to others was a more consistent positive predictor of job attitudes.