Arbeit und Fairness – zum Gerechtigkeitsempfinden von Beschäftigten
Der Arbeitsmarkt unterscheidet sich von vielen anderen Märkten dadurch, dass die Akteure in ein Netz persönlicher Beziehungen eingebunden sind. Fairness, Vertrauen und Loyalität spielen eine wichtige Rolle. Unternehmen und Beschäftigte sind nicht nur "Homo Oeconomicus", sie lassen sich bei ihren Entscheidungen auch von Gerechtigkeitsvorstellungen leiten. Was aber als fair und gerecht empfunden wird, unterliegt vielfältigen Einflüssen. Dieses Themendossier erschließt die wichtigsten Aspekte der wissenschaftlichen Diskussion um Fairness, Gerechtigkeit, Markt und Moral auf dem Arbeitsmarkt.
Im Filter „Autorenschaft“ können Sie auf IAB-(Mit-)Autorenschaft eingrenzen.
-
Literaturhinweis
Wie fair empfinde ich meinen Lohn? Das Arbeitsumfeld macht den Unterschied (2025)
Zitatform
Brüggemann, Ole, Thomas Hinz, Julia Lang, Susanne Strauss & Nick Zubanov (2025): Wie fair empfinde ich meinen Lohn? Das Arbeitsumfeld macht den Unterschied. In: IAB-Forum H. 03.02.2025 Nürnberg. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20250203.01
Abstract
"Dass eine faire Entlohnung Auswirkungen auf die Arbeitszufriedenheit und auf den Verbleib im Unternehmen haben kann, ist den meisten Menschen bewusst. Welche Rolle das Arbeitsumfeld bei der Bewertung des eigenen Lohnes spielt, ist jedoch weniger bekannt. Anhand einer deutschlandweiten Befragung von Beschäftigten in größeren Firmen hat ein Forschungsteam der Universität Konstanz und des IAB drei relevante Aspekte des Arbeitsumfeldes untersucht: ob Beschäftigte über ihre Löhne sprechen, ob nach Tarifvertrag entlohnt wird und ob es Betriebsräte als Anlaufstelle für Fragen der fairen Entlohnung gib" (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
-
Literaturhinweis
Gendered Responses to Unfair Pay: Evidence from a Factorial Survey Experiment among Employees in German Firms (2025)
Zitatform
Brüggemann, Ole & Julia Lang (2025): Gendered Responses to Unfair Pay: Evidence from a Factorial Survey Experiment among Employees in German Firms. In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Jg. 98, 2025-05-18. DOI:10.1016/j.rssm.2025.101064
Abstract
"Although recent literature shows that women are becoming more likely to perceive their (or other women’s) wages as unfairly low, how they respond to unfair pay is crucial for reducing wage inequality based on gender. Using a factorial survey experiment (FSE) among more than 4,800 employees from 533 German firms, we examine expected behavioral reactions to perceived under-reward of fictitious co-workers (exit, applying for another job; voice, starting wage negotiations or complaining at the works council). While exit was generally perceived as a more likely reaction than voice, gendered expectations emerged: female co-workers were expected to engage in voice behaviors less frequently than male co-workers. These gendered patterns were mitigated when female supervisors were present, supporting the notion that female managers act as “agents of change.” Our findings point towards policies promoting female leadership across hierarchical levels to reduce normative barriers and encourage women to address wage injustices." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 Published by Elsevier Ltd.) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Is My Wage Fair? Validating Fairness Perceptions among Women and Men (2025)
Zitatform
Diehl, Claudia, Julia Lang, Ole Brüggemann & Susanne Strauss (2025): Is My Wage Fair? Validating Fairness Perceptions among Women and Men. In: Socius, Jg. 11. DOI:10.1177/23780231251366126
Abstract
"The authors examine gender differences in perceptions of the fairness of one’s own pay. This work differs from previous studies, as the authors not only assess whether women are as likely as men to perceive their pay as unfair at the same absolute wage levels. Instead, they use an innovative methodology based on linked employer-employee data. This makes it possible to compare subjective perceptions of (un)fair pay with the predicted pay of comparable others with the same individual-, work-, occupation-, and firm-related characteristics. The authors use the measurement of how closely a person’s pay aligns with the predicted pay of comparable others as a strictly empirical indicator of whether someone’s pay is fair. Overall, women are as likely as men to perceive a fair wage as unfair or an unfair wage as fair. Although the data at hand do not make it possible to explore the causes of this, or to assess whether women and men used to differ more in their perceptions of fairness, the authors speculate that women today may be more aware of the societal debate about gender-based wage discrimination, and their perceptions of appropriate compensation may be less influenced by gendered comparison groups and gender status beliefs than previous research has suggested." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Is My Wage Fair? Validating Fairness Perceptions among Women and Men (2025)
Zitatform
Diehl, Claudia, Julia Lang, Ole Brüggemann & Susanne Strauss (2025): Is My Wage Fair? Validating Fairness Perceptions among Women and Men. In: Socius, Jg. 11, S. 1-21., 2025-07-22. DOI:10.1177/23780231251366126
Abstract
"The authors examine gender differences in perceptions of the fairness of one’s own pay. This work differs from previous studies, as the authors not only assess whether women are as likely as men to perceive their pay as unfair at the same absolute wage levels. Instead, they use an innovative methodology based on linked employer-employee data. This makes it possible to compare subjective perceptions of (un)fair pay with the predicted pay of comparable others with the same individual-, work-, occupation-, and firm-related characteristics. The authors use the measurement of how closely a person’s pay aligns with the predicted pay of comparable others as a strictly empirical indicator of whether someone’s pay is fair. Overall, women are as likely as men to perceive a fair wage as unfair or an unfair wage as fair. Although the data at hand do not make it possible to explore the causes of this, or to assess whether women and men used to differ more in their perceptions of fairness, the authors speculate that women today may be more aware of the societal debate about gender-based wage discrimination, and their perceptions of appropriate compensation may be less influenced by gendered comparison groups and gender status beliefs than previous research has suggested." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © SAGE) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Does organizational context matter? An examination of the factors influencing employees’ judgments of minimum wage increases (2025)
Zitatform
Dütsch, Matthias, Monika Senghaas, Gesine Stephan & Olaf Struck (2025): Does organizational context matter? An examination of the factors influencing employees’ judgments of minimum wage increases. In: Journal for labour market research, Jg. 59, 2025-02-10. DOI:10.1186/s12651-025-00392-3
Abstract
"This article presents novel findings on company factors that determine judgments regarding the fairness of minimum wage increases. Drawing on minimum wage and organizational justice research, we conducted a factorial survey among German employees. It seems that the internal wage structure plays a crucial role because raising only the pay of minimum wage workers and not that of other employees causes a minimum wage increase to be rated as less fair. While a hiring freeze does not negatively influence fairness judgments, layoffs do. Finally, if a minimum wage increase adversely affects a company’s economic situation, respondents assess it as less fair." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
They don’t really care about us: the impact of perceived vertical pay disparity on employee well-being (2025)
Filippi, Silvia ; Suitner, Caterina ; Peters, Kim ; Feraco, Tommaso ; Maass, Anne ; Salvador Casara, Bruno Gabriel ;Zitatform
Filippi, Silvia, Bruno Gabriel Salvador Casara, Kim Peters, Anne Maass, Tommaso Feraco & Caterina Suitner (2025): They don’t really care about us: the impact of perceived vertical pay disparity on employee well-being. In: European journal of work and organizational psychology, Jg. 34, H. 1, S. 42-57. DOI:10.1080/1359432x.2024.2415127
Abstract
"The gap in pay between those at the top of organizations and other organizational members continues to grow. In this paper, we tested the link between the perception of this vertical pay gap and people’s well-being at work. Specifically, we tested whether greater perceptions that pay is unequally distributed couples with people’s feelings that they are not valued (Lind & Tyler, 1988), eroding their sense of identification and well-being. In two cross-sectional surveys, Study 1a and 1b (N = 1335), we found that the more US and Italian workers perceived that there was a large vertical pay gap at work, the greater their tendency to feel that their organization was not concerned about their welfare. They were also less satisfied in their jobs and less likely to identify with their organization. In two pre-registered experiments, Study 2a and 2b (N total = 785), we manipulated the vertical pay gap in hypothetical organizations and found that when the pay gap was large (versus small) participants felt that the organization was less concerned about their welfare. They also expected to be less satisfied in their jobs, to identify less with the organization, and to experience greater work-life interference." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Perceived fairness and legitimacy of parental workplace discrimination (2025)
Zitatform
Gerich, Joachim & Martina Beham-Rabanser (2025): Perceived fairness and legitimacy of parental workplace discrimination. In: Community, work & family, S. 1-27. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2025.2453175
Abstract
"Parental discrimination has been shown to be related to several risks, including impaired health, increased job stress, and decreased job satisfaction, which calls for increased awareness of parental discrimination. This paper analyzes fairness and legitimacy judgments of unequal treatment based on parental status at work and the antecedents that influence these judgments. Stereotypes of symbolic vilification that suggest lower commitment due to caring responsibilities, and symbolic amplification, which refers to rational economic organizational needs, are expected to rationalize discrimination. Moreover, we expect specific values and ideologies to be related to judgments of fairness and legitimacy, mediated by resonance with symbolic vilification and amplification. Analyses are based on survey data from a sample of employees aged between 20 and 45 years (n = 376). Respondents' evaluations of parental discrimination were measured using two fictional cases. The results suggest that greater acceptance of vilifying and amplifying justifications is triggered by a stronger preference for the ideal worker norm and traditional gender role expectations. Women tend to view discrimination as more unfair and illegitimate than men, while men's judgments are more strongly driven by economic reasoning." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Perceived income inequality, perceived unfairness and subjective social status in Europe (2025)
Zitatform
Hajdu, Gábor (2025): Perceived income inequality, perceived unfairness and subjective social status in Europe. In: Socio-economic review, Jg. 23, H. 2, S. 955-977. DOI:10.1093/ser/mwae055
Abstract
"This article examines the relationship between perceived income inequality, the perceived unfairness of income distribution (discrepancy between an individual’s perceived and preferred levels of income inequality) and subjective social status. Using four waves of the ‘Social Inequality’ module of the International Social Survey Programme (28 European countries, 70 000 individuals) and an empirical strategy that controls for a rich set of objective measures of social status and the objective level of income inequality, the results show that both perceived inequality and perceived unfairness are negatively associated with subjective social status. Moreover, perceived unfairness moderates the relationship between perceived inequality and subjective social status. Specifically, the negative effects are larger for individuals who perceive high levels of unfairness than for those with lower levels of perceived unfairness. The analysis also provides evidence that the association between perceived inequality and subjective social status is stronger for individuals with lower income, lower education, and those living in Eastern European countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
From the Ideal Worker to the Inclusive Worker: Measuring Norm Shifts Within Occupational Contexts (2025)
Zitatform
Müller, Jan & Heejung Chung (2025): From the Ideal Worker to the Inclusive Worker: Measuring Norm Shifts Within Occupational Contexts. In: Gender, work & organization, S. 1-16. DOI:10.1111/gwao.70038
Abstract
"Research shows that the ideal worker norm—the masculine-gendered expectation of unlimited work devotion—perpetuates class and gender inequality, increases turnover rates, and negatively affects job satisfaction and work–life balance. Occupational research typically measures this norm through the share of employees working full-time or long hours. We advocate for a more comprehensive approach by (1) extracting employers' normative expectations from job adverts using machine learning, (2) separately quantifying the masculine-centric nature of this norm, and (3) tracing the norm's occupation-specific evolution. Further, we introduce the inclusive worker norm to juxtapose against the ideal worker norm. We demonstrate the inclusion of these diverse aspects at the occupational level, employing multi-level factor analyses to evaluate supply- and demand-side data for Switzerland, from 2001 to 2023. The validity of our indicators is supported by (1) factor analysis fit measures, (2) positive correlation with established indicators and part-time and gender pay gaps, and (3) negative associations with preferences for part-time work as estimated by multi-level models. By adopting this nuanced, occupation-specific, and historical lens, and leveraging job advert data, our research provides a novel approach to better analyze, understand, and address gender inequalities, and other work outcomes, perpetuated or mitigated by (shifts in) the ideal worker and inclusive worker norms." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Work meaning and fair wages (2025)
Zitatform
Schouwer, Thimo De, Elisabeth Gsottbauer, Iris Kesternich & Heiner Schumacher (2025): Work meaning and fair wages. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 97. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2025.102808
Abstract
"Work meaning can be an important driver of labor supply. Since, by definition, work meaning is associated with benefits for others, it also has an important fairness dimension. In a theoretical model, we show that workers’ willingness to pay for work meaning can be positive or negative, depending on the relative strength of fairness concerns and meaning preferences. To examine the importance of these behavioral motives for labor supply, we conduct a survey experiment with representative samples from The Netherlands and Germany in which we vary within-subject the benefits that a job creates for others. We find that only a minority of workers are actually willing to sacrifice wage for work meaning. The average willingness to pay for work meaning is positive, but substantially lower than the willingness to pay for job flexibility. There is a strong negative relationship between fairness concerns and willingness to pay for work meaning. Thus, individuals who prioritize fairness are less likely to accept lower wages for meaningful work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Work Meaning and Fair Wages (2025)
Zitatform
Schouwer, Thimo De, Elisabeth Gsottbauer, Iris Kesternich & Heiner Schumacher (2025): Work Meaning and Fair Wages. (CESifo working paper 12068), München, 42 S.
Abstract
"Work meaning can be an important driver of labor supply. Since, by definition, work meaning is associated with benefits for others, it also has an important fairness dimension. In a theoretical model, we show that workers' willingness to pay for work meaning can be positive or negative, depending on the relative strength of fairness concerns and meaning preferences. To examine the importance of these behavioral motives for labor supply, we conduct a survey experiment with representative samples from the Netherlands and Germany in which we vary within-subject the benefits that a job creates for others. We find that only a minority of workers are actually willing to sacrifice wage for work meaning. The average willingness to pay for work meaning is positive, but substantially lower than the willingness to pay for job flexibility. There is a strong negative relationship between fairness concerns and willingness to pay for work meaning. Thus, individuals who prioritize fairness are less likely to accept lower wages for meaningful work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Is My Wage Fair? : Validating Fairness Perceptions Among Women and Men (2024)
Zitatform
Diehl, Claudia, Julia Lang, Susanne Strauss & Ole Brüggemann (2024): Is My Wage Fair? : Validating Fairness Perceptions Among Women and Men. (Working Paper Series / Universität Konstanz, Cluster of Excellence 'The Politics of Inequality' 33), Konstanz, 33 S. DOI:10.48787/kops/352-2-ic19t4vrxlek9
Abstract
"This paper examines gender differences in perceptions of the fairness of one's own pay. Theoretically, we draw on two so far separate strands of literature, on women's alleged greater tolerance for lower wages ("contented female worker paradox"), and on perceived discrimination among ethnic minorities ("integration paradox"). Empirically, we depart from previous studies by not simply assessing whether women are as likely as men to perceive their pay as unfair. Instead, we use an innovative methodology based on linked employer-employee data from about 500 German firms. This makes it possible to validate subjective perceptions of (un)fair pay by comparing them to the actual (un)fairness of someone's pay. The latter is measured as the difference between one's own pay and the predicted pay of comparable others with the same individual, job, and firm-related characteristics. Overall, women are as likely as men to perceive a fair wage as unfair – or an unfair wage as fair. However, university-educated women are somewhat less likely than men to perceive their pay as fair when they earn less than comparable employees. They might be more aware of the societal debate about gender discrimination and "aim higher" in setting their aspirations for appropriate rewards for their skills." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Caring in the Gig Economy: A Relational Perspective of Decent Work (2024)
Zitatform
Khan, Maria Hameed, Jannine Williams, Penny Williams & Robyn Mayes (2024): Caring in the Gig Economy: A Relational Perspective of Decent Work. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 38, H. 4, S. 1107-1127. DOI:10.1177/09500170231173586
Abstract
"The rapidly expanding gig economy has been criticized for creating precarious and indecent working conditions. These critiques draw on decent work debates centred on employment classification, regulation and platform fairness, with less focus on the interactions between workers, platforms and clients, which are central to the experience of platform-mediated work. This article adopts a worker-centric relational perspective to explore decent work in the gig economy. Drawing on the experiences of workers in platform-mediated domestic care work, the insights from this study highlight the importance of social interactions and relationships, using an ethics of care lens, to elucidate how relational aspects shape workers' experiences. The findings reveal platform workers centre mutuality of interests, responsiveness and reciprocity, attentiveness and solidarity to maintain a balance of care (care-for-self and care-for-others) when negotiating platform-mediated care work. This article contributes relationality as a key dimension of decent work currently overlooked in studies exploring gig work arrangements." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
How White Workers Navigate Racial Difference in the Workplace: Social-Emotional Processes and the Role of Workplace Racial Composition (2024)
Zitatform
Nelson, Jennifer L. & Tiffany D. Johnson (2024): How White Workers Navigate Racial Difference in the Workplace: Social-Emotional Processes and the Role of Workplace Racial Composition. In: Work and occupations, Jg. 51, H. 3, S. 362-407. DOI:10.1177/07308884231176833
Abstract
"Research on racialized emotions and racialized organizations has begun to inform how we understand social interactions in the workplace and their implications for racial inequality. However, most research to date focuses on the experiences and coping strategies of racial minority workers, especially when confronted with instances of racial prejudice and discrimination. We extend research on racialized emotions in the workplace by mapping the stages of belonging/unbelonging white workers go through when they encounter instances of racial discomfort or perceived prejudice in the workplace. This is an important contribution to the study of race and work because existing research suggests the deleterious effects for people of color when white people experience negative emotions such as threat, fear, and anxiety in interracial encounters. Drawing on interview data with 56 white teachers in a metropolitan area in the U.S. Southeast, we document a process of racialized belonging. This is a process whereby white workers experienced varying degrees of surprise, confusion, frustration, and fear resulting from interracial—and some intraracial—experiences with coworkers as well as students. We note how the process is informed by racialized imprinting prior to workplace entry and followed by racialized emotions and racialized coping. Racial composition of the workplace also played a role, though the process looked similar across contexts. We argue that by accounting for white workers’ prior life experiences as well as organizations’ involvement in accommodating their emotional expectations, the way white workers behave when race becomes salient to them can be better understood and addressed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Fairness, expectations and life satisfaction: evidence from Europe (2024)
Zitatform
Nicolitsas, Daphne (2024): Fairness, expectations and life satisfaction: evidence from Europe. In: Empirica, Jg. 51, H. 2, S. 313-349. DOI:10.1007/s10663-023-09602-y
Abstract
"This study aims to investigate whether individual beliefs about the fairness of society can account for differences in life satisfaction. Fairness here encompasses both procedural and distributive justice. The paper uses fifth-round individual-level data from the European Social Survey (ESS). The round in question contains information that can be used as a proxy for procedural justice, in the form of individual assessment of how the courts operate in their country. It also contains variables that will serve as a proxy for distributive justice. To that end we use survey information on individual assessment of whether pay is appropriate as well as a variable measuring the gap between received and expected pay. The latter is constructed using pay information and individuals’ personal demographic and productive features, as well as information on the characteristics of their workplace. The hypothesis that life satisfaction is impacted by perceived unfairness cannot be rejected. Furthermore, we find that dissatisfaction with pay increases when individuals have a negative view of procedural justice." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Sorting and Wage Premiums in Immoral Work (2024)
Zitatform
Schneider, Florian H., Fanny Brun & Roberto A. Weber (2024): Sorting and Wage Premiums in Immoral Work. In: The Review of Economics and Statistics, S. 1-46. DOI:10.1162/rest_a_01536
Abstract
"We use surveys, laboratory experiments and administrative data to study how heterogeneity in the perceived immorality of work and in workers' aversion to acting immorally impact labor market outcomes. Immoral work is associated with higher wages, both in administrative data and in causal experimental evidence. Individuals more willing to engage in immoral conduct find employment in firms and industries perceived as immoral less aversive and have higher employment rates in immoral work in the laboratory. These phenomena appear to be driven by impure social motives, reflecting a desire not to be involved with immoral work, rather than by consequentialist concerns." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © MIT Press Journals) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Who Perceives Lower Wages for Women to be Fair? How Perceptions of the Fairness of Men’s and Women’s Wages Vary by Firm and Workplace Characteristics (2024)
Zitatform
Strauss, Susanne, Ole Brüggemann & Julia Lang (2024): Who Perceives Lower Wages for Women to be Fair? How Perceptions of the Fairness of Men’s and Women’s Wages Vary by Firm and Workplace Characteristics. (Working Paper Series / Universität Konstanz, Cluster of Excellence 'The Politics of Inequality' 29), Konstanz, 33 S. DOI:10.48787/kops/352-2-sofyhpevr9ys3
Abstract
"Previous research has shown that gender pay gaps are perceived as fair or justified, not only by men but also by women. In this paper we analyse whether this gender bias in the evaluation of fair wages still persists and whether the organizational context has an impact on fairness perceptions. We use unique data from a vignette study that was part of a representative online survey of 5,556 employees in 532 larger firms (> 100 employees) in Germany which are merged to administrative data. This allows us to consider different contextual factors at both the workgroup level and the firm level. In contrast to older studies we find that women tend to evaluate wages of female workers as unfairly too low. Moreover, the perception of (un)fair wages depends on the organizational context. Female supervisors and collective bargaining agreements in firms increase women’s awareness for other women’s unfairly too low wages, whereas an exchange about wages with co-workers affects the fairness perceptions of both male and female workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Fairness of earnings in Europe: the consequences of unfair under- and overreward for life satisfaction (2023)
Zitatform
Adriaans, Jule (2023): Fairness of earnings in Europe: the consequences of unfair under- and overreward for life satisfaction. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 39, H. 1, S. 118-131. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcac044
Abstract
"A large percentage of workers in Europe perceive their earnings to be unfairly low. Such perceptions of unfairness can have far-reaching consequences, ranging from low satisfaction to poor health. To gain insight into the conditions that can attenuate or amplify these adverse consequences, comparative research on the role of country contexts in shaping responses to perceived unfairness is needed. Furthermore, justice theory proposes that both types of perceived unfairness - underreward and overreward - cause distress, but evidence on overreward from representative survey data is scarce and laboratory studies have produced mixed results. Data from the European Social Survey (collected in 2018/2019) offer a means of addressing both of these gaps in the research. Studying the association between perceived fairness of personal earnings and life satisfaction in a cross-section of 29 European countries, I find that both underreward and overreward are associated with lower life satisfaction. This relationship is more pronounced in countries where the equity norm is strongly legitimized and weaker in countries where the trade union density is high." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Gender differences in fairness evaluations of own earnings in 28 European countries (2023)
Zitatform
Adriaans, Jule & Matteo Targa (2023): Gender differences in fairness evaluations of own earnings in 28 European countries. In: European Societies, Jg. 25, H. 1, S. 107-131. DOI:10.1080/14616696.2022.2083651
Abstract
"Women tend to evaluate their own pay more favorably than men. Contented women are speculated to not seek higher wages, thus the ‘paradox of the contented female worker’ may contribute to persistent gender pay differences. We extend the literature on gender differences in pay evaluations by investigating fairness evaluations of own earnings and underlying conceptions of fair earnings, providing a closer link to potential subsequent wage demands than previous literature. Using European Social Survey (2018/2019) data, we find no evidence that women evaluate their own earnings more favorably than men. In 15 out of the 28 analyzed countries, women actually report more intense levels of perceived unfairness. Studying fair markups on unfair earnings, i.e. the relative distance between the earnings received and earnings considered fair, we find that women report the same, if not lower, fair markups compared to men in most countries; thus indicating limited potential for perceived unfairness as a driving force to reduce the gender pay gap in Europe." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
The Impact of Relative CEO Pay on Employee Productivity (2023)
Afzali, Aaron; Paulo Vieito, João; Oxelheim, Lars; Randøy, Trond;Zitatform
Afzali, Aaron, Lars Oxelheim, Trond Randøy & João Paulo Vieito (2023): The Impact of Relative CEO Pay on Employee Productivity. (IFN working paper / Research Institute of Industrial Economic 1458), Stockholm, 38 S.
Abstract
"In this study, we examine the relationship between within-firm pay inequality and employee productivity. We use hand-collected data on a sample of S&P 1500 companies from 2018-2022 and find a concave relationship between the relative CEO pay and employee productivity. Consistent with tournament theory, we show that the pay gap between the CEO and the Vice Presidents initially positively affects employee productivity. However, this positive effect only works up to a certain level, at which - as expressed by the CEO-employee pay ratio - employee discontent initiates a fall in firm-level productivity. We identify this tipping point as the point at which CEO pay exceeds the median worker's pay by a factor of 40. The average CEO-employee pay ratio in our sample is 193:1, suggesting that most firms could have avoided a fall in productivity by reducing their CEO-employee pay ratio. Our results remain robust after controlling for endogeneity. From a public policy perspective, our findings pave the way for corporate self-regulation of CEO pay to avoid politically imposed hard laws." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))